


Phantom Alone

by UnluckyAlis



Series: Phantom Secrets - Original Version [1]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: F/M, NO ONE KNOWS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-15
Updated: 2015-11-12
Packaged: 2018-04-20 23:28:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 40
Words: 128,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4806272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnluckyAlis/pseuds/UnluckyAlis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Danny Fenton became Danny Phantom, he swore he would protect his home from ghostly foes. To protect those closest to him, Danny never told anyone his secret. Not Jazz, not Sam, not even Tucker. But how long can he keep his secret with Amity Park learning more about ghosts every day, and a sinister force growing from the furthest reaches of the ghost zone?</p><p>This series is being rewritten, please see Phantom Origins</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Phantom in Hiding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers! If you’re reading this, I’d just like to say that this is my first fanfiction, ever. Please point out if you find any errors (be it spelling, grammar, or story wise [I already know I’m not following the original timeline, but really? I mean, I did already say no one knows Danny’s secret, so that’s a given]) so that I can fix it.
> 
> Otherwise, enjoy!
> 
> Oh! And I do not own Danny Phantom or any characters from the show.

Danny glared at the mirror. Or more specifically, at his eyes in the mirror. Normally they were a deep icy blue, but in his reflection they glowed a bright neon green. Now seeing green eyes staring back at him wasn't a very strange thing for Danny. But seeing them without white hair and a black jumpsuit was different. Sure sometimes his eyes flashed when he was angry or annoyed, but right now he knew his eyes were blue. It's only in the reflection that they weren't. And this was the problem. If someone were to glimpse his reflection, they would know something was wrong. They would know that Danny Fenton wasn't a normal boy.

Only very recently had this phenomenon occurred. It was in fact not long after saving the world from the Disasteroid. Or, more specifically, after regaining his ghost abilities.

He hadn't expected it to work, going into the broken down portal again and repeating the events that had birthed Danny Phantom. The first time Danny had gone into the unfinished portal to the Ghost Zone he had tripped over a loose cable and, while catching himself, pressed the ON button. It was kind of stupid of his parents to put the on button on the _inside_. As the portal powered up Danny had been electrocuted. Effectively killed, but he didn't die. As the portal formed around him ghostly DNA had entered his dying body and changed him. It was a change that Danny had only regretted once, when Master's Blasters had gained popularity. This change resulted in Danny Fenton's ability to become a ghost, and he took on the name of Phantom.

Danny always kind of wondered how the reversal of his powers worked. He technically had died in that accident, and had remained half dead ever since. He couldn't have been made un-dead (and not in the zombie way) when he lost his powers. Maybe he just became a little more alive. But during those few days he had felt sick and weary. Now, months after getting his powers back, he felt better than ever. But he also felt he was more dead.

Maybe that's why his reflection had green eyes. Danny absently wondered if, eventually, his reflection would be only Phantom and no Fenton. As long as he didn't die completely he didn't really care, but it would still be a problem if someone noticed it. He should probably avoid cameras too. Even before regaining his powers Danny never photographed well. There's no telling what would happen now.

He sighed and turned away from the mirror to finish getting dressed. Danny pulled on a loose fitting, long-sleeved shirt to hide both his scars and his muscles. No one knew that he, the weak nerd constantly picked on by one Dash Baxter, was Danny Phantom. Ghost boy hero, saviour of realms, and the very same Dash's idol. There was a buzzing in his pocket and Danny pulled out his phone, seeing numerous messages from his best friends.

Not even they knew his secret. Danny wanted to tell them, but it was safer for them if they didn't know. Although having an alter ego was a little redundant when all the ghosts Danny fought knew about the halfa's human persona. But then again, ever since saving both the human and ghost world from total destruction most of the ghosts had stopped attacking Amity Park. With malicious intentions at least. Danny still had to toss the Box Ghost back into the Zone a couple times a week, but not as often as he used to. Skulker was as persistent as ever in his quest to use Danny's 'pelt' as an attractive wall decoration. In a messed up way the black-haired teen supposed it was kind of a compliment.

"Danny, you're gonna be late!" Jazz called from downstairs.

Danny sighed once again but grabbed his backpack and left his room. In the kitchen Jazz was flipping through a binder at the table, going over her notes.

"We've only been at school for a week, what notes do have to study?" Danny asked, grabbing a granola bar from the pantry.

"This is my last year of high school, Danny. I have to study hard and keep my grades up if I ever want to go to Harvard," Jazz explained. She closed the binder and looked up at her brother. "You should eat more than that."

"I'm not hungry," Danny answered truthfully. Just as he didn't need to breathe as much as a normal human, he didn't need to eat as much either. There were a few other things that would obviously note him as a little less than normal, but Danny was always careful to never let those things get noticed. "And Jazz, I've never seen you get anything lower than an A minus. And that was in gym. The only way you wouldn't get in to Harvard is if everyone there was overshadowed."

"Thanks, little brother. And you better get going unless you want to be late again."

"That was only once," Danny said, but he left anyways. And by once he meant once that week. Which was a miracle, but ghost activity had been down since the Disasteroid. Not enough for him to be a perfect student in terms of class attendance, but enough that he wouldn't be late _every_ day like last year, or missing almost every second class. That's how his day used to be. Leave for school, bag a ghost along the way, arrive late. Get detention. Skip some class to fight another ghost and get more detention, then miss that detention to fight more ghosts. This year he was hopeful. Maybe he could even pull up his low average.

Danny ducked into an alley after leaving Fentonworks and changed into his ghostly form. His raven hair became a snowy white, his skin darkened to a light tan, and his normal clothes became a black and white jumpsuit with white boots and gloves. He flew the rest of the way to school while invisible. Just one of the many perks of having ghostly powers. As he neared Casper High, Danny found another hidden spot to change back and walked the rest of the way to school. Which at that point wasn't actually very far.

Sam Manson and Tucker Foley were waiting for him by the stairs.

"Hey, Danny, where were you last night? You missed the newest Doom update," Tucker asked.

"Yeah, and why haven't you texted us back?" Sam added.

Danny watched his friends closely. Tucker, an African-American techno-geek and mathematical genius with an iron stomach, was another of Dash Baxter's punching bags, although not as often, and had been Danny's best friend for forever. Sam Manson was a goth, ultra-recyclo-vegetarian. Her family was actually loaded, enough for her to be an A-lister, but she instead had been friends with Danny and Tucker since moving to Amity Park in middle school. They were two of the people Danny cared for most in this world. And it was for that very reason he had been distancing himself from them ever since he got his powers. Especially since a certain encounter near the end of the school year.

"My dad was giving me one of his 'ghost hunting' lessons," Danny lied with ease.

"Still? Man, you're the only one in your family who hasn't hunted ghosts. You'd think your old man would have dropped it by now," Tucker said. Danny nodded. At some point last year, around the time when he had gone with his mom to that bogus convention Vlad had made up, Jazz had actually gotten interested in ghost hunting. Funny since she had always been the most adamant that they didn't exist. That was, of course, before it became blaringly obvious to not just Amity Park but the whole world that they were, indeed, real.

"Yeah. But he's persistent," Danny nodded absently. Inside he laughed at the irony. The whole town believed Danny was the only Fenton not interested in ghosts. If only they knew.

"We better get to class before the bell goes," Sam said. Tucker and Danny nodded in agreement and they headed inside, stopping at each other's lockers before going to first period English. Mr. Lancer glanced at the trio as they entered the class.

"On time again, Mr. Fenton? I'm impressed. Does this mean we can expect to see much more of you this year?" He asked.

"I'm hoping so, sir," Danny replied truthfully as he sat down. The class slowly trickled in, some more rushed than others as the warning bell rang. When the late bell rang, Lancer glanced around the classroom and was pleased to find the entire class was present.

"Before we start today's lesson, I would just like to inform you that during third period there will be a mandatory presentation in the auditorium," he said. Some of the students whispered amongst themselves, excitedly determining which class they would be missing for the presentation. During the clamour Lancer started a video that was related to the day's lesson, and gave a brief explanation of its importance during the intro. Danny just rolled his eyes and doodled in his notebook.

But his doodles weren't the average stickmen most of his classmates would resort to. His doodles were Latin phrases. It wasn't something Danny meant to do, he just did. He had learnt the language quickly, along with Esperanto, after becoming a halfa and used to practice by writing out random phrases. It became an absent habit after a while.

Some of the things he wrote were old nursery rhymes, and creepy ones too, that Ember McLain had taught him. Others were some of Clockwork's favourite cryptic sayings. When Danny glanced at his paper to see what exactly he had been writing, he noticed that one sentence was repeated several times across the page.

 _I still exist_.

Danny's hand stilled. It had been months, almost half a year, since he had heard that sentence spoken out loud. Now he shuddered at the sight of it scrawled across the page in his surprisingly neat handwriting.

"Danny, you okay?" Sam asked, having noticed Danny shiver.

"What? Oh, I'm fine," Danny reassured her, and looked back down at his page. Why had he written that?

"Mr. Fenton, on time and taking notes? I really must say I'm surprised."

Danny turned around to find Lancer standing behind him, and felt a few mildly interested gazes turn his way.

"Fenturd, taking notes? As if," Dash scoffed from a few seats over. 

"They're, uh, not notes," Danny said, correcting Mr. Lancer. He hated to prove Dash right, but hoped that Lancer's interest would cease with the revelation. It did not. Instead he leaned closer to inspect the paper while Danny casually slid his hand over top.

" _To Kill a Mockingbird_ , Fenton, is that Latin?" Lancer exclaimed. Danny shifted uncomfortably as even more eyes drifted his way, including two very questioning gazes.

"...Yes," Danny answered hesitantly. Lancer reached out and snatched the paper from his desk before Danny could either protest or pull it away.

“My, this is impressive sentence structure. I even believe the grammar is correct. Where did you learn it?” Mr. Lancer asked, his eyes skimming the page before placing it back on Danny’s desk.

The half quickly folded the paper and slid it into the back of his notebook as he replied. “From a book.”

Tucker chuckled at Danny’s smartass reply.

“Of course,” Mr. Lancer said. “Who taught you?”

“No one. I learned it on my own.” _And languages, like science, come easily to me._ But Danny never said the second part out loud because, just as he had to hold up a reputation of being a wimp, he also didn’t make a habit of broadcasting his true intelligence. Although that had less to do with hiding his ghost powers than it did with not wanting to stand out.

Being a Fenton practically guaranteed being a genius. Maddie Fenton, Danny’s mother, was a mildly famous inventor, an excellent weapons technician, and a professional ghost hunter. Jack, Danny’s father, wasn’t nearly as good a ghost hunter and gave off the image of a bumbling idiot, but he too was a great inventor (though not as well known), and had designed many ghost-grabbing weapons. Some of which Danny actually made a note of watching out for. Jazz had been an honour student all her life and would no doubt one day move on to become a world-renowned psychologist (her professional field of study being ghost envy, and the psychological analysis of ghosts and their obsessions). If she didn’t become as big a ghost hunter as her mother, that is.

Danny? He was a linguist, and quite the scientist. But after a brief stint in elementary school when he had boasted his intelligence and showed of his ability to speak conversational German (Jazz had taught him and for years they had used it as a secret code so they could speak privately in front of their parents), Dash had started bullying the young Danny, jealous of his smarts, and in response Danny had never strived for an A again and kept his knowledge of languages a secret. His grades would still be in the Bs if ghost hunting hadn’t gotten in the way.

He could strive for a straight A average like Jazz, but even though Dash had long forgotten the reason why he started to bully Danny, the raven-haired halfa never did.

So while Lancer continued to stare at where the Latin covered paper had disappeared to, Danny ducked his head and fixed his gaze firmly on his desk to avoid the curious stares sent his way, which included Dash’s glare.

Thankfully the bell chose that moment to go off.

“We will be having a quiz on this video in two days. Tomorrow you’ll have the opportunity to watch it again, if you wish to, and prepare for the quiz. I’ll see you all at the assembly,” Lancer spoke quickly. Danny meanwhile swept everything off his desk and into his backpack, swinging the black and white bag over his shoulder as he strode swiftly out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, first chapter is done! I should note that I am also posting this story on fanfiction.net, and it is a couple chapters ahead, but I'll post the next two chapters soon so that this one will be caught up.
> 
> While I have my own opinions on who should find out Danny's secret first, I want to know who you want to figure to figure it out. To vote, comment the name of the person you wish to find out Danny's secret. Obviously, whoever has the most votes wins.


	2. Return of the Ghostketeers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So normally chapters won't be posted so quickly. I mean, I think it's only been about eight hours since I uploaded the first chapter, but since I already have up to chapter three written, I'm going to post this one now. I'll post chapter three tomorrow, and then the time between chapters should be a couple of days
> 
> I realized that I didn’t mention I’m Canadian, so out of habit I might use the metric system a bit, but since Danny does live in the U.S. I’ll try and stick to the imperial.
> 
> So hey, to you lawyers. I don’t own the show Danny Phantom. I don’t own the characters, I only own this story.
> 
> Enjoy!

“Dude, what was with the Latin in English class today?” Tucker asked.

Danny slowly drew his eyes away from the empty stage in the auditorium and looked at his best friend. “What about it?”

“Well, you were writing in it, for one thing,” Sam, sitting on Danny’s other side, said.

“Yeah, man. You’re barely passing English, how do you know Latin?” Tucker clarified. Danny shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He had realized years ago that it wasn’t really necessary to hide the fact that he was smart from his two best and only friends, but hiding it had already been such a normal thing for him to do by the time they met Sam, and Tucker probably didn’t even remember how smart the halfa had been when they were younger.

“Like I told Lancer, I taught myself. It’s a cool language,” Danny explained lamely, although that wasn’t exactly far from the truth. He did think Latin was cool.

“We get that, but _why?_ And why not tell us?” Sam pressed. She reached out to touch Danny’s hand, hoping to coerce him into giving out more information. Instead he flinched away when she had been millimetres from touching him. She frowned. Danny hadn’t even been looking at her, how did he know what she was going to do?

“Alright, students, settle down!” Principal Ishiyama walked onto the centre of the stage at the bottom of the auditorium, and Danny welcomed the distraction, signalling to his friends that they should listen. Tucker sighed in disappointment, but turned his attention to the stage. Sam watched Danny for a moment longer, experimentally reaching out one more time. Again he pulled away before she could touch him. Still frowning, she, too, turned to watch Ishiyama.

Danny breathed a sigh of relief. That had been close. Not about the Latin, but Sam almost touching him. He had been careful this past year, when he noticed the subtle changes that could give him away as a halfa. His skin was perpetually cold, like dead man cold. For curiosity’s sake he had tested his internal temperature a couple months ago. The average internal temp was 98.8 degrees. He was around 70. He had also gotten a lot paler, didn’t need to eat, drink, or sleep as much. And, of course, there was the fact that he didn’t breathe as much either. It was a miracle no one had actually noticed all of this before.

“This assembly has been made mandatory by the mayor of Amity Park, but I believe that the rest of the faculty will agree with me when I say that even if that weren’t so, we would still be having it,” Ishiyama said. Murmurs rose among the students, quiet conversations as to what exactly this assembly could be about, if the mayor demanded it. If only they were a little more patient the students would have discovered that listening for just another three seconds would reveal the answer to their questions.

“Today we will be talking about the ghost problem of Amity Park.”

The murmurs rose to an excited clamour.

“Settle down!” Ishiyama spoke over the tumult of talking students, and they conversation died down as she continued. “Last year we faced many ghost attacks throughout Amity Park, many of which took place here at the school. The mayor, and I agree wholeheartedly with this, feels that we need to prepare ourselves so that we can be ready to face any imminent attacks. For this reason, we have Amity Park’s own local ghost hunters to help teach us what we need to know.”

Danny groaned knowingly as Ishyama stepped away from the microphone.

“GHOST!” A loud voice shouted from the back of the auditorium as the door burst open. Filling the frame was a large man wearing a bright orange jumpsuit. His shout was followed by a smooth female voice emitted by a small device in his hand.

“Ghost within twenty meter vicinity,” the Fenton Finder said. Danny slid down in his seat as his father, Jack Fenton, roamed down the aisle, swinging the Fenton Finder erratically. When it neared, the voice spoke again.

“Ghost within ten meters.” Jack spun around, arm outstretched, forcing a student to duck in order to avoid being hit by his large fist. Jack’s eyes slid over the students in the row and settled on Danny.

“Hey, Danny! Have you seen a ghost?” Jack asked excitedly.

“Oh, Jack, there’s no ghost. The Fenton Finder must still be tracking Danny for some reason. I though we fixed that,” Maddie Fenton, wearing her usual blue jumpsuit, followed her husband into the auditorium.

“Aw. And I wanted to catch a ghost,” Jack mumbled as Maddie took the Fenton Finder from him.

“And you will, sweety. Hi Danny!”

Danny groaned and sent a small wave to his mother before his parents continued down to the stage, Jack boasting how he will get to “blather on about ghosts!” Maddie quickly grabbed the microphone before Jack could, and many of the student (and teachers) sighed in relief.

“Hi everyone! Jack and I were invited to this assembly today to help teach you a little bit about ghosts, as well as tell you ways that you can protect yourself during a ghost attack,” Maddie started. “First off, in the next week we will be installing a ghost shield that can be used in the case of attack. Because of amount of power it takes to power a shield of large scale, we won’t be able to make one to cover the entire school, or else it wouldn’t be able to last very long. Instead, this shield will be installed here in the auditorium. The shield will automatically activate itself if the ecto-exodus alarm, which we will be installing along with the shield, goes off. If the alarm does go off, it would be best for everyone if you immediately proceeded her to the auditorium.”

Danny frowned at the mention of the alarm. He’d had dealings with it in the past, and knew from experience that it would go off if ever went ghost in its sensor vicinity. So far it’s never been triggered while he’s been in his human form, but Danny had been getting stronger recently and beside flying and his ghostly wail, all of his powers were now usable without going ghost. Although his ice powers and ecto-blasts were restricted.

If his powers continued to grow, it would run the risk of the alarm going off anytime Danny was around. He’d have to tamper with it once his parents finished installing it, so that it wouldn’t react to his ecto signature.

Maddie and Jack continued to talk about their various inventions, mentioning that Fenton Foamers and Anti-Creep Sticks ver. 2.0 (now able to harm ghosts) would be held in cases scattered around the school, much like a fire extinguisher would be.

Danny zoned out for the majority of the assembly, already knowing how to operate all of his parents’ inventions, possibly better than them even. Or at least his dad. And in the case of a ghost attack, it would not be necessary for him to seek refuge in the ghost shield. Although he wouldn’t be able to pass through it anyways.

Tucker listened with avid excitement. After having so many encounters with the famed Danny Phantom, he found that he actually kind of enjoyed fighting ghosts. Although his experience was limited. Sam held a similar sentiment, although she limited her expression to mild interest, mostly feigned boredom, so as not to appear _too_ interested in the topic. After all, ghosts were too mainstream now.

Danny finally paid attention to what his parents were saying as the end of the assembly neared, a certain word having caught his attention.

“If you wish to learn more about ghosts and how to protect yourself, and others, from them. Then you can come to Fentonworks in the evengins and join the Fenton Ghostketeers!” Maddie finished.

“Oh, cool! Hey, Danny, maybe we should do that. I would get your dad off your back about ghost hunting,” Tucker said.

“Maybe, Tuck,” Danny said absently. The Ghostketeers brought up bad memories of the time Walker had invaded Amity Park to get his revenge on Danny. Hopefully this time the law obsessed warden wouldn’t be involved.

“The Ghosteketeers will meet every night for an hour. If you are interested in attending, please come speak to us after the assembly,” Maddie stepped away from the mic, signalling that she was finished speaking.

“And then I’ll blather on about ghosts,” Jack beamed, but said nothing more. Principal Ishiyama returned to center stage.

“Alright, students. That is the end of the assembly. Unless you will be speaking to Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, I suggest you go to lunch.”

The majority of students rose from their chairs and started to file out of the large room, talking animatedly about ghosts and what their year might look like for them. The freshman, new to the Casper High ghost experience, whispered worriedly to each other.

“Has anyone ever been hurt during an attack?” Danny overheard one ask and older student.

“No way! Danny Phantom always comes and stops the ghost before they can hurt someone,” the sophomore replied. The freshman’s eyes widened and he turned to his friends, voice now bearing a tone of excitement.

Who wouldn’t want to see the great Danny Phantom in action?

Danny grinned and rose to leave himself, when Tucker started to protest.

“Come on, man. It’ll be fun,” Tucker said, motioning to the small group gathering around Danny’s parents. The halfa looked to same for help, but found that he would get none as she seemed just as excited as Tucker. Although if you didn’t know her well, you wouldn’t know it at all. But Danny saw the slight curl in her lips and the gleam in her eye.

“Oh, fine,” Danny nodded and, instead of heading up towards the doors, walked against the flow of the crowd down to the stage with Sam and Tucker close behind him.

“I know I’m going to regret this,” Danny groaned as his parents spotted him approaching, both their faces splitting into wide grins. 

* * *

It was a strange sight, seeing so many of his classmates sitting in his living room. Danny stood in the corner of the room, Tucker and Sam on his left and right respectively. While they were talking, he surveyed the room. Dash, Paulina, and Kwan stood together in the opposite corner. Star, Paulina’s ‘satellite’ had opted not to come to the class, but the A-list couple were hoping that they would get the opportunity to meet Danny Phantom.

“Not likely,” Danny muttered under his breath as he shifted his gaze. Valerie had come, which was no surprise at all to the halfa. While the Red Huntress was admittedly a great ghost hunter, she actually knew very little about her prey. This would be her opportunity to learn more. Danny was just glad that she was no longer after Phantom. Nathan had joined the class as well, no doubt in the hopes of winning Valerie’s heart.

There were a few other people that Danny recognized, but couldn’t place a name to because they weren’t in his grade. But the person he was surprised most to see there, was Mr. Lancer.

The overweight English teacher was talking to Maddie about the defense system they would install in the school. Danny had never taken his teacher to be someone interested in ghosts, or at least ghost hunting. But he understood the desire to learn to protect oneself, and others.

After all, that’s what he strived to do every day as Danny Phantom.

“Okay! Now that it looks like everyone is here, we can begin,” Maddie said, clapping her hands together. Heads swivelled and all eyes fell on her. “Before we get started, does anyone have any questions?”

“What, exactly, is a ghost?” Lancer asked.

“Excellent question, Mr. Lancer! There are many theories about what a ghost is, but no one knows for sure why ghosts exist. It would require a live subject and extensive tests to determine the actual reason. But the theory that I believe is true, is that ghosts are the consciousness of the dead that are consumed with an obsession. This obsession, which can be anything, really, as what prevents a ghost from moving on into whatever may consist of the afterlife.”

“What kind of obsessions do some of the ghosts we see in Amity Park have?” Valerie asked, her hand habitually raised as she spoke.

“The easiest obsession to point out would the Box Ghost. I’m sure you’ve all seen this ghost at some point around Amity Park, and his obvious obsession is with boxes,” Maddie explained.

“What about the ghost boy?” Paulina asked.

“Yeah, what about Phantom?” Dash echoed. Despite the fact that they were date, both of them sounded more interested in Danny Phantom than each other.

“We are unsure of Phantom’s obsession. Unlike most ghosts, he is never seen outside of battles, so we can’t discern what exactly his regular ghostly activities would be. And it’s these activities that would give away what his obsession is.”

The A-listers sighed with disappointment while Danny chuckled. He guessed that his parents didn’t know protecting people could be an obsession just as much as boxes could. After all, they did say that an obsession could be _anything_. And that was Danny’s.

“Any more questions?” Jack asked, eyes roaming over the group. “No? Then I’ll go get the equipment from downstairs.”

“Today we’ll be introducing you to some of our weapons, these are what we’ll use when there is a ghost attack. Next week you will all also be given an emergency pack that will contain a variety of devices necessary for ghost hunting,” Maddie said while Jack disappeared downstairs. When her husband returned, they avidly went over their inventions in more precise detail then they had at the assembly. Danny was dejected to discover that his parents had built another ecto-converter and moved a healthy distance away when they gave a demonstration of how the machine worked.

While Valerie no longer hunted Danny Phantom, his parents still did. They acknowledged that he saved the world during the Disasteroid incident but they, along with many other Danny Phantom haters, believed that he only helped them so that the Ghost Zone would survive as well, and still believed that he was no different than any other ghost out there.

Of course, they didn’t know that not every other ghost out there was bent on wreaking havoc in Amity Park. In fact, only a small portion of them were.

Danny was broken out of his thoughts when something sharp hit the back of his head.

“Ow!” Danny cried out, more out of habit than the fact that it actually hurt. It was only a bump, after all, he had received much worse. He glanced down and saw the Booo-merang at his feet, then looked up to see everyone staring at him. Danny chuckled nervously and retrieved the device from the floor.

“Guess you still need to fix this one, too,” Danny said, handing the device to his father.

“Danny, you okay? The looked like it hurt,” Sam stepped closer to inspect the back of Danny’s head.

“I’m fine, it’s just a bump,” Danny protested, but Sam was adamant. She stepped forwards again and grabbed Danny’s outstretched hand, then gasped and jumped back.

“Danny, you’re freezing!” Sam said.

“Oh, yeah. I guess I do feel kinda cold,” Danny said. He knew it was a lame explanation, but it was the only thing he could think of. When Tucker stepped forwards and touched Danny’s shoulder, the halfa flinched away at the same time that Tucker did.

“Danny, that’s not cold. That’s like ice,” Tucker said.

“I’m fine,” Danny insisted, ignoring the stares of his parents, classmates, and teacher. “Mom, you were talking about the Spector Deflector?”

Maddie glanced down at the belt in her hands, then back up at Danny. “Yes. This belt can protect the wearer from ghostly energies.”

“I’m fine, really,” Danny hissed to Sam and Tucker, who were still staring at him.

“If you say so,” Tucker raised his hands in a sign of defeat, while Sam placed a hand on Danny’s cheek.

“No, you’re not,” she hissed in return.

“Yes, Sam. I am,” Danny said firmly. He lowered Sam’s hand and slipped out of the living room. His parents weren’t telling them anything he didn’t already know, they wouldn’t miss him for the rest of meeting. He went up to his bedroom and quietly closed the door, then spun around and punched the wall, his fist breaking easily through the drywall.

How could he have been so stupid, letting them touch him? He had managed to avoid that from happening for over a year, then he gets a small bump on his head and lets his guard down. Danny growled in frustration. In reality, it wasn’t that big of a deal that they noticed he was cold. No one knew that Danny’s internal temperature was below hypothermia cold. But even the smallest hint, when connected to other small hints, could give his secret away.

That’s why the halfa nervously ran his hands through his hair. He sighed in frustration, and froze when he noticed that his breath was visibly, a frosty blue. Danny grinned. He could use a little misplaced aggression right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I mentioned that the assembly was required by the mayor, but I should note that no, Tucker is not the mayor in this fic, although he and Sam did help Danny Phantom during the Disasteroid incident. They just didn’t know that Phantom was Fenton. And since the Disasteroid incident did happen, Vlad is an outcast.
> 
> I know, there hasn’t been any action yet, but ghost sense, yay! That means fighting in the next chapter.
> 
> Or does it?
> 
> Yeah. Yeah it does.


	3. Even Fruitloops Need Help Sometimes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, new chapter. So this one is almost caught up. Just one more chapter to go, at will be completely up to date. I'll be posting the fourth chapter sometime tomorrow afternoon probably.
> 
> Disclaimer. I don't own DP. Do I really gotta say this every time?
> 
> Anyways, enjoy the newest chapter, and don't forget to vote on who you would like to find out Danny's secret first

Danny paused as his ghost sense went off, then glanced at his bedroom door. Or, more specifically, at where the living room would be at the bottom of the stairs on the other side of his door. In all likelihood, the group downstairs would never even notice that he left. Danny shift his stance, rising out of the perpetual slouch that was Danny Fenton's posture. He stood straight, feet braced and fists clenched. Instantly, a white ring formed around his chest and split in two, travelling up and down his body. When they dispersed, his t-shirt and jeans had been replaced with the black and silver jumpsuit belonging to Danny Phantom, the stylized DP logo on his chest. He turned intangible and flew through the ceiling. When he emerged above the ops centre, Danny scanned his surroundings in search of the ghost he sensed. It was a powerful one, too strong to be the Box Ghost, or Klemperer, or any of his other tedious enemies. But Skulker was still in the Fenton Thermos from their last encounter, and Danny hadn't seen Technus in weeks. So he flew in a circle, not bothering to turn invisible. If the ghost saw him, then Danny assumed it would attack him. Making it that much easier to find.

Danny's assumption was correct. A tall figure with blue skin and red eyes flew out of a nearby alley. Danny’s hand glowed green and a warmth spread as the ectoplasm gathered. He fired off three quick blasts in succession, shifting only his arm in order to keep aim while his adversary dodged. At the last possible moment, Danny dropped from the sky to avoid being body slammed, then turned and shot up towards the ghost, fists forwards. They connected with its chest with a satisfying crunch, and as the ghost was shoved back Danny finally managed to get a good look at who it was.

Vlad Masters, also known as Vlad Plasmius. Former mayor of Amity Park. Possibly former arch enemy, although Danny wasn’t too sure of that. Yeah, he hadn’t seen Vlad since the Disasteroid, but he doubted that counted as a demotion from arch enemy to average enemy. After all, he was attacking Danny _now._

Danny fired another round of ecto-blasts as Vlad shot forwards again. This time Vlad threw up a shield and the ectoplasm fizzled harmlessly against it.

“Daniel, always so eager to lose a fight. I could still teach you, you know, if you let me,” Vlad said.

“Not in my worst nightmares,” Danny said. He flew forwards and punched the shield. The solid pink ectoplasm shattered on impact and Vlad flew back to a safe distance.

“I’m not in the mood for this, Plasmius. Not today.”

“I thought you were always in the mood for witty banter, little badger,” Vlad grinned.

“I’m not today,” Danny said. He shot forwards again, hands glowing green as he prepared to fire off another round of ecto-blasts.

But Vlad stopped him before he could. The older halfa met Danny’s attack with two hard punches of his own, and a couple ecto-blasts thrown in for good measure. Danny cringed at the heat of the blasts and was blown back down to the street. He collided painfully with the street. Vlad split in two and the duplicate flew down to restrain Danny.

Danny struggled against the hold and would have broken free, if Vlad hadn’t split into another duplicate to restrain him further. Danny finally quit struggling, but chuckled inwardly at the fact that Vlad had to use two of himself to hold back a boy much younger than half his age.

“I’m not here to fight you, Daniel,” Vlad said.

“Then what do you want, Vlad?” Danny asked, eye the threatening pink glow on Vlad’s hand while concentrating on his ice powers.

“Your help.”

Danny paused, the ice that was spreading from his feet melting as he lost concentration.

“My help?”

“Yes, Daniel, your help.”

“Things didn’t end well the last time you asked for my help,” Danny narrowed his eyes, and the ice once again slowly spread from his feet, circle those of Vlad’s duplicates. No way was he going to fall for one of the frootloops tricks. Or take the chance that it wasn’t one.

“There’s something going on, in the Ghost Zone. Something I can’t handle. Something even _you_ can’t handle,” Vlad hissed.

“Why should I believe you?”

“You haven’t noticed? The decrease in ghost activity? The ghosts that have gone missing? Surely you didn’t think they had just decided to stop attacking, did you?”

“Of course not,” Danny spat. But he had, honestly. While he knew there were a few ghosts that would still be after him, he thought that most of them had decided he was at least okay. But there’s no way he would tell Vlad that.

“Well, they’ve been disappearing. I haven’t seen my minions in days. I would go myself to investigate, but the minute I set foot in the Ghost Zone your… _friends_ cast me out. I’m afraid you will have to go in for me,” Vlad said, slowly floating closer throughout his spiel.

“And I should just trust you, Vlad Plasmius, on your word alone? It wouldn’t be the first time you’ve tried to trick me into doing something.”

“And succeeded, too. Because I know you, Daniel. You can’t stand the idea of someone getting hurt when you could have stopped it. So, if I’m telling the truth and you _don’t_ go look for yourself, you will be wracked with guilt because you did nothing. If I’m lying and you don’t go, then I guess there’s no problem. But are you, Danny Phantom, willing to take that risk?” Vlad taunted.

“I just might be,” Danny lied. In an instant, the that had been forming around the feet of Vlad’s duplicates shot up around there legs. Danny twisted sharply, ripping free of their grasp, and shot each with a very powerful ecto-blast. The duplicates collided with the wall behind them and Danny spun around to face Vlad, but he was gone. He turned back to the duplicates in time to see them grinning at Danny before flying away.

Danny flew after them, but they had enough of a head start that by the time he cleared the buildings, they were gone. The halfa groaned in frustration and flew back to Fentonworks. He phased through his bedroom wall and collapsed on his bed, reverting back to his human form. Despite having been gone for the better part of an hour, Danny could hear that the Ghostketeers were still downstairs. Wanting a distraction from Vlad’s disturbing revelation, he decided to listen in.

He rolled out of bed and opened his bedroom door, sliding down to sit against the frame while eaves dropping the unsuspecting group below.

“So when do we get to see the lab?” Tucker asked.

“In a few days. We want you to learn how to operate our less volatile weapons before we show you the big guns,” Maddie replied. Danny chuckled at his dad’s inclusion of the word “literally” after Maddie spoke.

“Will we ever get to go into the Ghost Zone?” Paulina asked.

“We could go right now!” Jack’s voice was laced with excitement, but became a disappointed groan when Maddie negated his claim.

“We will go once we believe you’re able to handle yourselves against a low level ghost. We won’t go deep enough in the first couple of times so that we would encounter any stronger ghosts.”

“Then we’ll get to meet Phantom!” Dash cheered.

“Oh, that reminds me, Jack! Have you finished work on the _new invention_?” Danny didn’t like the mischievous lilt in his mother’s voice.

“Almost done, Maddie. All I need is a sample, since our old ones keep disappearing.”

Danny’s face, if possible considering how pale his skin already was, blanched. The only samples that continuously disappeared from his parent’s lab were his own, because after any encounter with his ghost hunting parents Danny made sure to remove an ectoplasmic residue that they may have gotten their hands on. And if they needed it for a new invention, that wouldn’t be good news for Phantom at all. Danny listened for several more minutes, hoping to hear more about this invention, but nothing interesting occurred. In fact, everyone started to leave.

When he heard the sound of Sam’s heavy combat boots on the stairs, and Tucker’s lighter sneakers, Danny leapt up from his spot in the door and quickly closed it before sliding into the chair at his desk. He quickly powered up his computer and opened Doom.

“Hey, Danny,” there was a light knock on his bedroom door and Sam pushed it open.

“Yeah?” Danny swivelled around to face them, acting as if he had just been busy playing the computer game.

“Just wanted to say that the meeting is done. Tuck and I are heading home,” Sam said.

Danny nodded, and reached out to shut off his computer. Completely oblivious to Tucker’s raised eyebrow and questioning look at the fact that Danny hadn’t saved the game. Danny always saved the game. One week, during a new update when the game had been bugged and the save button didn’t work, Danny had left his computer on the entire time and played non-stop to finish the new levels so he wouldn’t have to worry about the consequences of not saving.

But he just shut the game off without doing anything.

“Okay. I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” Danny rose from his chair, stretching like he’d been sitting there unmoving the whole time.

“See you tomorrow,” Tucker and Same both replied, waving and leaving his room. Danny stood there, in the middle of his bedroom, for several minutes before raising a hand. A harmless blob of ectoplasm shot out from his palm, pushing the door closed, and he fired another at his light switch, then dropped backwards onto his bed. He stared at his ceiling, fretting over the ‘new invention’ his mother had mentioned. Danny glanced at his clock, and realized that he had been laying there for almost two hours. The rest of his family had to be in bed by now.

Danny closed his eyes for a moment, then phased through his bed and descended into the lab below. 

* * *

Danny stared up at the cloudy sky. It had looked like it was going to rain all day, but thankfully it hadn’t. He was lying in a tree in the park. Or technically floating slightly above it. As Danny Phantom, he didn’t usually set foot (or leg, or back) on the ground unless he was forced down during a fight. He closed his eyes for a moment, but instead of seeing dark he saw the inside of Mr. Lancer’s classroom where the vice-principal was giving a lesson on poetry.

Sending a duplicate to class while he skipped school wasn’t something Danny did often, and for good reason. There were a number of situations in which the duplicate could end up disappearing, and to keep the duplicate active for a long amount of time required lots of energy, which meant he couldn’t exactly be patrolling Amity Park for ghosts while doing this. That meant that, if a ghost did attack Danny now, the real Danny, then the duplicate would disappear. But today, Danny needed to think. And being at school he would be too distracted.

He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the branch, then pulled a blue sheet of paper from his pocket. It unfolded multiple times to show blueprints for his dad’s latest invention, but so far Danny could only discern that this weapon appeared to be a gun. His father had a habit of never putting notes down in his blueprints, claiming instead that he would remember everything. And he always did, a fact which infuriated the halfa. Now he had absolutely no idea what the weapon did. Even worse, since his parents had so far not yet mentioned the invention in front of either him or Jazz, then it would be suspicious if he asked about it specifically.

Yesterday Danny had asked if they were working on anything new, and Jack had proceeded into a long rant about how they were upgrading the Specter Speeder to accommodate the Ghostketeers during their future trips to the Ghost Zone.

Frustrated and worried, he analyzed the blueprints once again. The weapon was fairly large, a little bigger than the Fenton Foamers. It had two barrels, the large one being square, and the small one below it triangular shaped. It had dual triggers, no doubt one for each barrel, and a large canister attached to the back. But what Danny couldn’t figure out is whether this canister was for ammo, a net, or him.

He assumed it wasn’t a net, since his parents already had a gun that shot those. Although they couldn’t exactly find it at the moment, seeing as Danny had turned it intangible and place it in the walls last week after they nearly caught Phantom in it.

The only way Danny would be able to find out what this new gun did, would be to find and test it himself. With any luck, that would be before his parents decided to test it on him, an experience he wasn’t willing to go through just yet. Danny returned the blueprints to his pocket and clasped his hands together, dropping his elbows onto his knees and lowering his head so that his snow white hair fell over his eyes. He had other, slightly more pressing matters to think about.

Vlad, and the Ghost Zone.

It had only been a day since his greatest enemy had revealed that he needed Danny’s help, something that he was hard pressed to believe. But Vlad had even acknowledged, if momentarily and very subtly, that Danny was stronger than him. Something that he never thought the other halfa would do. That meant that he could have been telling truth, that whatever was making the ghosts disappear or keep them from attacking was serious.

But it could also be a trap.

Danny scowled, running a hand through his hair. Vlad was right, he couldn’t run the risk of him telling the truth. He _had_ to go into the Ghost Zone. Of course, that didn’t mean he would have to investigate the way that Vlad was expecting him too. He wouldn’t just fly as far as he could go and see what happened. He would go straight to Clockwork, and maybe Frostbite too. If anyone knew what was going on, it would be them. He decided that he would go tonight, as soon as he got the opportunity, and headed back to school, where his duplicate was raising his hand and asking Mr. Lancer to be excused.


	4. Currogated Cardboard Arrogance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's chapter four, it's now caught up with the other sight. I know I did say I'd post it this afternoon, but I kinda got sidetracked. But it's up now (obviously)! So yay to that. I hope everyone is liking it so far.
> 
> Disclaimer. I don't own DP, Butch Hartman does. Give the man a round of applause!
> 
> Without further ado, here's chapter 4.

Several shrieks rose from the group of Ghostketeers as Dash’s gun went off. The blast of ecto-energy soared through the air and everyone ducked. Or at least, almost everyone. Danny, who had his back turned to the jock, spun out of the way as the shot flew past him and exploded against the wall. Used to close calls, he didn’t think anything of the sudden flare of heat along his side as he dodged.

Maddie Fenton, however, did noticed.

“Danny!” She cried, rushing forwards. She grabbed his shoulders and roughly turned her son so that she could clearly see his side. His red shirt had been singed through, and there was a bright red burn on his skin where the shirt had burned away.

“Oh… ow!” Danny winced, moving his hands to his side and covering the wounds from sight. A year of pretending Dash’s punches hurt had made Danny a fairly good actor when it came to feigning pain.

“Danny, let me get a better look at that, Jak, get the first aid kit!” Maddie demanded. Danny kept his hands pressed firmly against his side. From his warped perspective, the burn was hardly anything to worry about. If Danny had gotten it during a fight he wouldn’t even have bothered covering it up, knowing that it would heal within the next twenty-four hours. Maybe even the next twelve, if Danny took the time to absorb the emotional energy that normal ghosts fed on. But that wasn’t something he wanted to do often. Not since his first experience with Spectra.

But to Maddie, the burn was serious and in need of immediate medical attention.

Danny shot a glare Dash’s way as his mother pulled at his wrists, revealing the wound. Dash, meanwhile, simply looked shock.

Fenturd, wimpy _Fenton_ hadn’t even flinched at the stray shot. He had just dodged it, and rather gracefully to. While the motion had been brief, anyone paying close attention could see how fluid and easy it came to the raven-haired teen. And Dash had been watching horrified, expecting the shot to hit Fenturd full on.

Jack approached, first aid kit in hand. But before Maddie could grab it, Danny snatched it out his father’s hands and stepped back, so his mother was no longer within grabbing reach.

“I can clean it myself,” Danny said, opening the kit and pulling out the necessary supplies.

“Danny, that’s a serious injury, let me do it for you,” Maddie said, reaching out for the gauze.

“I said I can do it!” Danny snapped. Regret immediately settled on his features as he realized how unnecessarily _loud_ that had been, and he mumbled an apology and he went upstairs to cover the wound.

The Ghostketeers watched the exchange with a mix of concern and boredom. Paulina and Dash being the bored ones once it seemed that Danny was fine. Kwan, wanting to keep his status as an A-lister, tried to hide his own worried expression.

“Hey, Tuck,” Sam elbowed the techno-geek to get his attention. “Did you see?”

“Yeah. I saw,” Tucker nodded, his eyes still on the spot where Danny had disappeared up the stairs.

“What do you think?” Same asked, her hand absently drifting to her side and wondering how much that burn had hurt. It certainly would have hurt her a lot, but Danny had barely made a sound. Sure, he said “ow”, but it sounded kind of half-hearted to her.

“I honestly don’t know. Do you think that he could be…?” Tucker’s voice trailed off, not wanting to voice his theory out loud.

“There’s no way,” Sam shook her head, understanding what Tucker had been thinking. After all, it had been her first thought, too. “They weren’t precise, or lined up like they normally would be. Danny didn’t do that too himself.”

“He could have, Sam. You know how distant he’s been.”

Sam shook her head again, but her mind remained on the same topic as Tucker’s. It had only been a brief glimpse, so Sam wasn’t sure if she had seen the full extent of the damage. But the only thing she could think about, when looking through the hole on Danny’s shirt, was how had he gotten those scars?

* * *

“Dammit,” Danny muttered, wrapping one last layer of gauze around his middle. He realized that he probably could have just gotten a new shirt and didn’t need to go through the process of covering and bandaging the wound, but he doubt that his mother would just drop the topic. Heck, she’d probably even check to make sure the burn was properly covered. For now, he would have to keep the wrappings on, even if he found them annoying and tedious for something so small.

But Danny’s opinion of a ‘small’ wound had been altered greatly over the past year. As long as it didn’t bleed, it wasn’t anything to worry about. He finished dressing the wound and pulled on a new shirt before stretching. As he made his way back to the lab, Danny start cracking his knuckles, flexing his fingers and feeling the joints pop. The loud cracking signalled the Ghostketeers to Danny’s return, and he froze mid-step when they turned to face him, hands in front of his chest. He glanced at Sam, then cracked his knuckles one more time.

Sam cringed and Danny, smirking, did it again.

“Danny, that’s gross and so bad for your hands,” Sam said.

“What? You mean this?” Danny cracked his knuckles again as he approached the Goth.

“Yes, that,” Sam said curtly.

“So, one more time, just to clarify. You don’t want me to do this,” Danny raised his hands close to her face and cracked his knuckles from the last time.

“Danny, stop it!” Sam snapped, slapping his hand away.

“Oh, if you insist,” Danny gave a resigned sigh and turned his attention to the ghostly cut-outs against the wall. The focus of today’s meeting was weapon control, but so far it seemed that few people had actually managed to hit their targets. It was no surprise that Valerie, of course, was a pretty good shot, what with all the practice the Red Huntress got on Danny, though she could still improve. Danny was pleased to see that Sam and Tuck, while their aim wasn’t as spot on as Val’s, had managed to hit their targets at least a couple of times. As for the others? It varied from a total miss to a slight singeing at the edge of the cut out.

Danny unsuccessfully stifled a laugh at their horrible aim. Sure, ash could throw a football, but he couldn’t shoot a gun. And Paulina? It was obvious that she could barely lift it.

“What’s so funny, Fenton?” Dash glared at the halfa, not daring to use one his rude variations of Danny’s name in front of his parents.

“Oh, no, Dash. I wasn’t laughing at you, not at all,” Danny chuckled. Sam pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle her own laugh and Tucker snorted.

“Watch it,” Dash warned, eyes narrowing. His expression promising pain first thing at school tomorrow.

“Of course, no problem. I should hope you punch better than you shoot,” Danny grinned.

“Like you could do better, _Fenton_ ,” Dash spat the name in lieu of changing it.

“Well…” Danny contemplated his reply. He could tell Dash that he was a fantastic shot, which he was, but he didn’t want to reveal anything more about himself. Sure, he had managed to brush off his cold skin, but Danny knew that his behaviour concerning the care of his wound would have been suspicious. He could see Maddie eyeing the spot on his side where the burn was.

“That’s what I thought,” Dash snorted, and Danny narrowed his eyes. Sure, he let Dash beat him up so that he retained the image of a weak and wimpy loser, that way if anyone ever noticed the physical similarities between him and Phantom, their attitudes would be enough to quell any suspicions. But his fighting skills were something he was extremely proud of, after honing them for so long.

Danny stalked forwards and snatched the gun from Dash’s hands. The jock blinked in surprise. Maddie and Jack had given him the largest gun since they believed that, out of all the students, he would have been the best to handle the heavyweight and recoil. And while Dash wouldn’t admit it, the gun _had_ been heavy. But Danny grabbed it with one hand and swung it around easily as he walked back to the far side of the room. As far from the target as he could get.

He hefted the gun with ease, raising it up to his shoulder. Danny’s eyes flicked momentarily into the sights, then he fired. Under his strong grip, the gun barely twitched, and the ecto-energy hit the cut out dead center, leaving a jagged black burn over the ghost’s chest.

“Hmm… about an inch off. You’re right, Dash, I could do better,” Danny beamed and threw the gun back to the stunned jock, who caught it and stumbled under it’s weight.

“Chicken Soup for the Soul, Mr. Fenton, where did you learn to shoot like that?” Lancer asked. His own target was one of the ones burned a little around the edges, but otherwise intact. Still, that was more than Danny had expected from his teacher.

“Right here,” Danny supplied, rather truthfully. He did train and test out his various abilities in the lab. It was the safest place to do so without getting caught, something Danny always found kind of ironic considering it was the lab of ghost hunters.

“Have you been down here playing with our weapons?” Maddie asked, shocked.

“No, Mom. Practicing. I thought that, with all the ghost attacks, I might as well learn how to defend myself,” Danny explained. Sam and Tucker looked crestfallen at his explanation, hurt that he hadn’t asked them to join him. He had considered it, on several occasions, but decided that if the y ran from a ghost instead of staying and trying to defeat it, they would be a lot safer.

“Nice work, Danny-o!” Jack grinned, as proud as ever of his son. Despite the constant refusals to take up ghost hunting, he had still prepared himself for the frequent attacks. That’s the way a true Fenton thinks.

Danny grinned sheepishly at his father, ignoring his mother’s disapproving scowl. He absently wondered, what would her reaction be if she found that he was Danny Phantom? Besides the risk of horrible experiments, if Maddie didn’t resort to those, Danny suspected that she would lock him in a ghost proof room to make sure her little baby boy never was in the way of danger again.

Soon, the Ghostketeers turned back to their own targets, while Maddie went from person to person giving them advice on their stance and aim, and Jack sat in the corner fiddling with a vial filled with red liquid. After gently pushing aside Maddie’s suggestions that he, too, grab his own gun and start practicing, Danny went over to Sam and Tucker, watching them shoot for several, quite minutes.

“Dude, why didn’t you tell us?” Tucker asked, lowering his gun while Sam took another shot at her target.

“Um… honestly?” Danny asked, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “I was worried.”

“About what? That we wouldn’t be able to handle ourselves?” Sam suddenly snapped, whirling around to face the halfa. Looking at the way she held the gun, Danny doubted that, even if he had been worried about _that_ in particular, he wouldn’t be now.

“No, just that… if you guys could fight ghosts, properly like you’re learning too now, you wouldn’t run away when one attacked. You would stay and try to protect the other people. And probably get hurt in the process,” Danny answered truthfully, dropping his gaze to the floor.

“Is that... is that what you do?” Tucker asked hesitantly. Danny’s eyes snapped up to Tucker, an unnerving action to his friends since the rest of his head stayed tilted down.

 _Does Tucker know?_ Danny thought, internally panicking. Tucker and Sam noticed the way that his face shut down in the moment before he answered.

“What do you think that I do?” Danny asked cautiously, his voice guarded.

“Well, it’s just, whenever you disappear at school? It’s always right before a ghost attack, you know. So I was wondering if that’s what you do, why you trained. To hunt ghosts,” Tucker said slowly.

Danny visibly relaxed. Tucker didn’t know. He only had a theory, and a plausible one that would make a good excuse for his actions. He nodded.

“Is that where the scars are from?” Sam asked. Danny stiffened. How did they now? Then he realized that, obviously, they must have just seem them. He mentally slapped himself for once again being so careless. He was lucky now one else noticed.

“We could have helped you,” Sam said, frowning. Danny ran his hand through his hair, feeling agitated and nervous. He would have to be careful from here on out.

“I know. Trust me, I do. There were so many times when I could have used you guys, but I didn’t want you getting hurt,” Danny explained. This conversation was actually easier than he thought. So far, he hadn’t had to lie yet, or even stretch the truth, to keep his secret intact.

“And your parents?” Tucker asked, glancing at the older Fenton’s that were standing out of earshot.

“You saw how my mom reacted over me _practicing_ with a gun. How do you think she’d react if she knew I was actually out there, hunting ghosts? Even though my dad constantly tries to get me to join them, it’s always under the label of ‘observer’ that he offers it,” Danny smiled internally at his choice of words. “You already know that they never take Jazz out during a ghost attack unless they really need her help.”

“I don’t think you’d see the light of day again,” Tucker snickered, imagining Maddie’s reaction to the revelation.

“Yeah. My point exactly,” Danny said.

“Okay. I forgive you, I guess,” Sam said.

“Gee, thanks Sammy,” Danny rolled his eyes as she turned back to the cut out. “You know, your stance is a little off.”

Danny stepped forwards, slipping on a pair of gloves from his pocket. He’d taken to carrying them around since Sam had managed to feel how cold he was. He didn’t want any more slip ups. Both Tucker and Sam glanced questioningly at the gloves, but didn’t say anything.

“Raise your gun,” Danny said, nodding to the weapon. Sam did so, and suddenly Danny was standing very, very close to her. She felt a light blush creep into her cheeks, but remained focused on her target.

“Okay, so you need to raise this arm a little more,” Danny pushed Sam’s arm into position, then glanced down at her feet. He pressed his own foot up against the inside of hers and forced them apart a little, then he leaned forwards over her shoulder to examine how she held the gun now that he had moved her.

“You lowered it a bit, bring it back up,” Danny instructed, and Sam did as told.

“Good,” Danny nodded, then stepped away. Sam pulled the trigger and the bright green blast hit home, scorching the ghosts head. Sam smiled and turned to Danny, then noticed how he was watching her and looked away, blushing again.

“You’re such a dork,” Sam muttered, and Danny blushed too, realizing what he had been doing.

Behind them, Tucker grinned and whispered, “lovebirds.”

“We are not lovebirds!” Danny and Sam yelled in unison, rounding on the techno-geek. Tucker stepped back, hands raised in surrender and keeping a wary eye on the gun in Sam’s hands.

“You know, this could really come in handy,” Sam said, smiling at the weapon.

“Danny, please tell me she doesn’t get to keep that,” Tucker gulped.

Danny grinned and forced the barrel of the gun down to the floor. “I don’t know, Tuck. She’s pretty handy with it.”

Tucker gulped again, and Sam and Danny burst out laughing, falling against each other to keep from dropping to the floor. Tucker, despite his honest fear over Sam owning an ectoplasmically charged gun, grinned and laugh with them.

All three collapsed on the ground, distracting the others from their shooting. Paulina glared at the Goth girl, mad at her closeness with Danny Fenton because he had actually gotten kind of cute over the last year, and was taller too. Lancer smiled, glad to see that Danny was able to enjoy himself with his friends despite the hard schoolyear he’d had last year. And Maddie and Jack were happy to see that their son was happy.

After all, it had been a long time since they’d seen him act this way. So open and carefree, even if it was only for a few moments. When their laughter died down, Sam and Tucker returned to shooting, but now with Danny hovering over their shoulders.

Dash glared at the trio, pissed off that Fentina, of all people, had upstaged him and was now having a great time. He had completely forgotten about the fact that he had shot the halfa only half an hour ago, and was instead now dwelling on the conversation he had overheard between the three close-knit friends. Danny had mentioned ghost hunting, but there was no way a kid as weak as him could ever fight a ghost. Not to mention how much of a wimp he was. Fenturd was always the first to run whenever a ghost attacked at school. Dash’s scowl deepened. Of course, he had been adept at handling that gun. Dash shook his head. Fenton was loser and always would be, that was that.


	5. Fears Confirmed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So chapter five I got up fairy quickly, seeing as it's only been about an hour or two since chapter 4 was posted, but keep in mind that chapter 4 was already written a couple days ago. So It'll probably be a couple days for chapter 6.
> 
> But on with the story!
> 
> I do not own DP.

The Ghost Zone was, in all appearances, empty. Even though Danny was flying fast enough that everything around him was a blur, he still should have been able to see the telltale blob of a ghost flying past. But he didn’t. There were no Ectopi, or annoying parrots. He hadn’t even seen the Box Ghost yet. Just the floating purple doors, swirling green ‘sky’, and the occasional floating island.

Danny had taken a much longer route through the Ghost Zone, doing his best to avoid his enemies. Though now he wasn’t sure if he would have faced them anyways. As he flew over Dora’s castle, Danny found himself wondering if the same could be said of his allies. If he were to fly down to the dragon princess, would she be there? Would her attendants? Or would he find the castle as empty as everywhere else.

He suddenly found himself flying faster. He hadn’t really considered before that the _good_ ghosts could be gone, a thought that he realized now was rather naïve. When the massive, black grandfather clock that served as Clockwork’s lair came into view, Danny sped up even further. He landed on the island and stared up at the clock face. The massive cogs surrounding the area were still turning, which meant that Clockwork was at least alive.

Inside the only sound to be heard was the quiet clicking of clock hands ticking away. Danny scanned the area with a well-trained eye, noting the Fenton Thermos sitting on a pedestal in the middle of the room. The cap was welded to the base, and the canister as a whole was shaking slightly. There were several outward facing dents on its side, including one that looked suspiciously like a small, grinning face. Danny shuddered and turned away from the thermos, focusing on the rest of the room.

Everything appeared to be in order. Clockwork’s screens were playing various scenes from the different realities, flickering between the alternate timelines. Danny spotted a few exchanges from his own reality. Sam sneaking her new ecto-gun past her parents. Tucker walking on the street with his full attention devoted to Sharon, the PDA in his hands. Surprisingly, he never ran into anything. Danny smiled at the images of his two best friends, feeling a wave of guilt over the fact that he had been slowly pushing them away. He realized now that, if he had continued, he probably would have lost them.

“But you didn’t,” a familiar voice answered from behind the halfa. Danny turned, a grin on his face, as he saw a middle-aged Clockwork hovering behind him.

“Clockwork! You’re okay,” Danny said.

“Of course, Danny. I’m just as I should be,” Clockwork replied, smirking as Danny scowled at his choice of phrase. “I am afraid that I can’t help you.”

Danny, who had just been preparing to ask Clockwork the first of his questions, closed his mouth and frowned. “But I-”

“Need my help, yes. But I’m afraid I’m not allowed to offer any, not truly. But I can confirm what you already know,” Clockwork explained. Danny sighed and nodded. He would take any help he could get, but found that it upset him slightly that Clockwork wasn’t able to truly help him.

“Vlad Plasmius was not lying when he said there is a threat in the Ghost Zone, but I cannot tell you what it is. Yes, some of the ghosts have been disappearing. You have noticed the absence of one of your more common foes, Technus?”

Danny nodded, really a pointless action since he knew that Clockwork already knew the answer to that question.

“Is there anything else you can tell me?” Danny asked.

“I’m afraid not,” Clockwork replied as his appearance shifted to that of an old man. “I cannot risk altering the timeline from its current path.”

Danny shuffled his feet, an interesting action when he wasn’t actually touching the ground. He turned to go, acknowledging that Clockwork couldn’t give him any more information.

“You know, Daniel. I feel as if Frostbite has been missing you for some time now. He would probably welcome a visit,” Clockwork said before Danny could leave. Danny paused, then looked back over his shoulder at the new younger looking ghost.

“Thanks,” Danny grinned, and took off flying. He had been so resigned with what little information Clockwork was able to provide, that he had nearly forgotten his intentions to see Frostbite if this very situation did arise. Which, obviously, it did. Danny smirked. Clockwork may have said he couldn’t help Danny any more, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t remind the young halfa of those who _could_ help him.

Thankfully, the Far Frozen was only a couple of hours away at Danny’s top flight speed. Both lairs were near the edge of the explored Ghost Zone. What was beyond, Danny had yet to find out, but every time he ventured out he never saw any ghosts, doors, or even floating slabs of rock. He understood that there was a lot of the Ghost Zone that he hadn’t explored yet, but believed wholeheartedly that there was nothing past the Far Frozen.

Danny didn’t notice when the temperature dropped as he neared the icy landscape. He had been resistant to the cold ever since the lab accident, but after gaining his ice powers, he could barely feel it. Though that also meant he got uncomfortably warm very quickly.

He soared closer to the ground, and after a few minutes of passing over frozen ground and mounds of snow, he entered a cave with walls of ice. Less than a minute into the cave his flight was stopped by a large door. Danny lowered his feet almost to the ground (remaining just an inch or two above the ice), and knocked. The sound echoed around the narrow tunnel, the knock heavier than one would expect from Danny Fenton. But as Phantom, wearing his close fitting jumpsuit, every muscle he had earned over the past year was accentuated and stood out.

The door open, ice scratching against ice, and large beast stood behind it. It was a good three feet taller than Danny, despite him now being around six feet when he stood up straight. Its body was covered in thick, white fur, and it had a right arm made of nice.

Danny smiled up at the ghost, and it returned a wide, toothy grin.

“Great One! We have been awaiting your return for some time.”

“Hey, Frostbite,” Danny said as he was pulled into a strong hug. “Sorry it’s taken me so long to visit.”

“Of course, Danny. Come inside, we’ll prepare a feast for the occasion! I’m sure you have flown far. Your rooms are, as always, prepared.” Frostbite pressed a hand against Danny’s back and propelled him forwards. Danny, meanwhile, tried to explain his reason for coming to the Far Frozen so suddenly, but suddenly found that he was being gently pushed through a door that closed behind him, leaving him alone in the suite.

Danny sighed, relenting that he would have to wait to speak to Frostbite. He could venture out and try and find Frostbite, but during every one of his visits Danny had noticed that it could be hard to track down the ruler of the Far Frozen, as he was often occupied with his kingly duties.

At the thought of kingly duties Danny’s shoulders dropped and ran a hand through his hair, messing it up further. That wasn’t something he needed to worry about right now, but it was something that always nagged on the back of his mind.

That, and one other thing. Danny glanced around the room, noting the bed with black sheets, the large closest, and the door that would lead to the bathroom. In the wall to his right was another door, this one silver, with an elegant DP emblazoned in the middle, a contrast to the logo that Danny had imprinted in his chest, and the black door through which he had been pushed a moment ago. He approached the silver door and gingerly pushed it aside. Inside was smaller room, with another bed and closet, though both of these were just a little smaller than Danny’s own. The room looked as if it hadn’t been touched in a while.

Danny closed the door and sat down on his own bed. He had managed to stabilize Danielle’s ghost and human halves around the middle of summer, and he had only seen her once or twice since then while she was settling at the Far Frozen. It would appear that she had gone off to explore the world once again. Danny just hoped it was the human one, seeing as the Ghost Zone was an especially dangerous place to be at the moment. Although he had yet to confirm that fact.

The teenage halfa just couldn’t help but worry about his cousin.

“No,” Danny muttered, shaking his head and mentally correcting himself. Dani wasn’t his cousin. She was his _daughter_. A fact that Frostbite had explained to him the last time that Danny had been here, which was also the last time he had seen Danielle. He had been asking Frostbite about Dani’s status as his clone, because there was an obvious difference between the two. Danny was a boy, but Dani-with-an-i was not. Obviously quite the flaw in terms of clone-dom. But, since neither the frozen-land king or Danny knew of how exactly Vlad had gone about with the cloning process, seeing as Dani had already been ‘born’ for a week or two when Danny first met her, neither of them were able to discern hoe exactly Dani had come about. Although, honestly, Danny didn’t really care at this point. All that mattered was that Danielle was his daughter, and he had no idea where she was.

He knew she would be safe, being a half-ghost like him, she could protect herself. But Danny worried about what would happen when she developed her own ice powers, or her ghostly wail. Danny’s first use of both had been very destructive and out of control.

The teen halfa muttered something about ‘rebellious kids’ and dropped onto his back. Frostbite had been right. Danny _had_ flown far today, and he was exhausted. It wouldn’t hurt to get a couple minutes of sleep, especially since it had to be well past midnight now, and it would take Danny several hours to get back to the Fenton Portal. He contemplated using the Infimap, but decided that he’d rather have it under Frostbite’s watchful eye until a direr situation arose. He could do without it for now.

Danny yawned and rolled onto his side, not even bothering to pull himself up to the pillows before changing back to his human form, dropping the last inch onto the bed, and falling into a deep sleep.

In what seemed like no time at all, Danny felt a hand pressing lightly on his shoulder, and his eyes snapped open, instantly alert. Frostbite stood above him, smiling.

“The feast is ready, Great One. We would be honoured if you joined our table,” Frostbite stepped away from the bed as Danny sat up, nodding slowly.

“How long have I been asleep for?” He asked, quickly rubbing his eyes.

“I would think around an hour, Great One. I understand that there are probably things you must do back in the human realm, so the feast will be brief.”

Danny nodded again and followed Frostbite out of his room and down the halls, not even having to take note of the route he was already so familiar with. In the grand hall, there was a long table filled with other yetis. There were two empty seats at the head of the table for the halfa and Frostbite. Once they sat down, the feast commenced.

Some of the food, in respect to Danny’s human half, was human. But most of it was for ghosts, meaning it consisted mainly of ectoplasmic energy. Most of these foods being strange fruits that seemed to grow green. Danny, showing his own respect, accepted some of the human food, but did mostly eat the Ghost Zone fruits. While human food was adequate, and he did eat it most of the time, food from the Ghost Zone was better for regaining energy. In desperate situations, Danny would resort to the ghost method of eating done by those with high power levels. Feeding off the emotions of those around them, negative ones being the strongest and most rejuvenating. But he didn’t do that often.

As Frostbite had promised, the feast was brief, and Danny requested to see the yeti king in private before heading back to the human realm.

“I’m sorry to say, but this visit wasn’t exactly a recreational one,” Danny said. Frostbite nodded in understanding. “I spoke to Vlad yesterday, and he told me that… that something was going on here. Something bad. I went to see Clockwork, but he wasn’t allowed to tell me anything. I know now that ghosts have been disappearing, and I just need to know. Who, or what, is behind all this?”

Frostbite frowned. He, being an observant ruler, and taken note of all the strange things that were happening in recent weeks. “Something is wrong, anyone can see that much. But I’m afraid that I do not know what the cause of these events are. Ghosts _have_ been going missing. Among their numbers being your foes, Spectra and Technus, as well as Pandora.”

Danny’s eyes widened at that. Pandora was a powerful ghost, and protected important artifacts, including her box. Not only was it disturbing that something had managed to capture, or possibly kill her (if that’s what you could call ending a ghosts existence), but now her box would be unguarded and free to be taken by anyone. Though, Danny guessed, they would have to get through her maze first.

Then he realized something. If his allies were disappearing too, then that could mean…

“What about Danielle?” Danny asked quickly, voice taut with worry.

“We have been in contact with the young Phantom in recent days, Great One, and have requested her return to our realm as soon as possible. She will be safe,” Frostbite reassured Danny, and he found himself relaxing. But only a little. A lot of things could happen in a few days, and Dani could have been taken already. Frostbite tried to reassure Danny again, before deciding that there would be no helping him in this.

“We will contact you as soon as we hear from her again,” Frostbite said.

 _Or as soon as you don’t_ , Danny wanted to retort, but held back.

“I need to find out what’s the cause of this,” Danny said, steeling his gaze.

“Of course, Great One, but do not put yourself at risk. There will no doubt be a great battle ahead, and we will need you when the time comes. Allow me and my men to search for the cause, while you prepare yourself for what is to come.”

“Do you think we could use the help of humans?” Danny suddenly asked, realization dawning on him.

Frostbite pondered the question for a moment before answering. “If properly trained, we could use their help. We have no idea what we will be facing, Great One, and humans can be resourceful at times.”

“Okay. I need to go back now.” Frostbite nodded in understanding. “But I’ll be in touch, and I know exactly which humans we can get help from.”

“May cold winds be at your back,” Frostbite stated in traditional Far Frozen farewell.

“And pure snows to welcome you home,” Danny replied just as traditionally, before transforming and heading off. He left Frostbite and made his way back to the entrance, flying through the halls and out the door. The sentries, which hadn’t been posted when Danny first arrived, waved their goodbyes and closed the door behind him.

Danny once again flew as fast as he could, and found himself fretting over how little sleep he would be getting that night. By the time he got home, it would probably be a few hours until sunrise, and then he would have to do his morning patrol (he wouldn’t let a decrease in ghost activity lower his guard) and go to school.

He was still deep in thought when he suddenly found himself out of what little breath he needed as he went careening towards a nearby slab of rock, thudding painfully against the ground. Danny shook his head and glanced up, noticing a familiar metal suit not to high above where he had been moments ago.

“Skulker,” Danny frowned. “Don’t you ever other prey to catch? You know, prey that you can _actually_ catch?”

“The thrill is in the hunt, ghost child. And when the hunt is done, your pelt will adorn my walls,” Skulker replied.

“Listen, Skulker, I’m not in the mood for this right now,” Danny said as he rose, charging up an ecto-blast.

“Good. Then that means we can keep the witty remarks to the minimum so I, the greatest hunter in the Ghost Zone, can finally attain my prize!” Skulker roared, then flew towards Danny.

“Wow, attain. Such a big word, I’m proud of you,” Danny smirked as he fired off a now fully charged blast. Skulker swerved and avoided it, a large gun sliding out from his shoulder. Danny jumped from the slab of rock he had been standing on as Skulker fired. A moment later it was nothing but drifting pebbles.

“I think you need to work on your aim, Skulker. I’m over here,” Danny dodged around the hunter sothat he was hovering behind him, and grabbed the metal head. Before he could punch the weak spot, Skulker swivelled around and knocked Danny aside, then reached out and grabbed his shoulder. Danny winced as he felt a sharp pain where Skulker grabbed him, then turned intangible and slid from his grip. More guns rose from various locations among Skulker’s suit, and they all fired at once. Danny did his best to dodge, but found that he wasn’t able to miss all of them as a harpoon-like spear soared past and ripped through his upper arm, opening a large gash. Danny hissed as the green ectoplasm started to flow from the wound.

He was too tired to fight properly despite the short reprieve he had been given at Frostbite’s. He would have to finish this off quickly. For a moment, he was considering using his ghostly wail, then shook his head. That was too powerful, how knows what it could destroy. And it was just too similar to _him_. He wouldn’t use it unless he had to. Danny resigned to his normal method of attack, charging up his fists with ectoplasmic energy. He remained at a distance, where dodging would be easier, and did his best to stay behind Skulker. After a few blasts hit the weak part on his neck, Skulker’s head flew off and Danny want to catch it. He reached inside and grabbed and the small green blob from within.

“I am the Ghost Zone’s greatest hunter! I will have your pelt!” The tiny Skulker shrieked.

“Yeah, whatever,” Danny muttered.

“You have won this time, Ghost Child. But know this, I have done what was asked of me, and I will return,” Skulker said, then he bit Danny’s finger and quickly flew away, abandoning his suit.

“Ow!” Danny cried out in surprise and rubbed the now sore area. Did ghosts do that? Biting? He hadn’t actually seen that happen so far besides when the parrots attack him, or when Bertrand had turned into a panther. Danny glanced at his shoulder and hissed. The wound was bad. It would take more than a few hours to heal, and his arm would no doubt be stiff and sore for the next day or two.

He continued on his way to the Fenton portal, although not as quickly seeing as he had used a lot of what little energy he had regained on his fight with Skulker, and was now bleeding profusely. By the time he reached the portal, the blood had stopped, but his whole arm was numb and he could still feel the prick in his shoulder from when Skulker had grabbed him.

Danny stumbled through the portal, turning human as soon as the door closed behind him, and made his way upstairs. In his dresser, behind a false back in his drawer, was an elaborate array of medical supplies that would challenge even the most prepared first-aid kit. Danny grabbed the supplies he would need and made his way to the bathroom, being as quite as he could and locking the door behind him. He cleaned the wound quickly and disinfected it, before eying it carefully. He would need stitches.

After muttering a few choice obscenities common in the Ghost Zone, Danny grabbed the needle and thread, steeled his nerves, and started to sew the wound shut. He would never be able to get used to the sensation of a needle tugging at his skin, but knew that he couldn’t take any drugs to numb the area, or else he might not be as careful as he was now. The stitches were far from perfect, but he had slowly gained experience over time and could now manage to at least sew it straight.

The only problem was when he had a wound on his back and couldn’t sew it. He had quite a few nasty scars that had taken much longer to heal because of that half, convincing his parents that he was sick and couldn’t go to school whenever that happened. That meant that, along with his unexplained absences and late arrivals, he had also racked up a fair number of sick days. Although those days _were_ justified, seeing as he could only lie on his stomach all day and give the wounds time to heal. If it was bad, around three days or so.

Danny cleaned up any blood that was on the counter and gathered up his supplies, mopping up any blood that had dripped onto the floor with his already ruined shirt. He noticed that, unlike usual, his blood wasn’t fully blood after changing back. There were hints of green ectoplasm mixed in.

“That’s new,” Danny muttered as he tossed the shirt under his bed and returned the supplies to their hiding spot. He cast a quick glance at his bedroom mirror, noting that in his reflection his eyes were still green, before crawling into bed, careful to stay on his left side, and quickly falling asleep. His eyes had been closed for around twenty minutes when the alarm on his clock sounded that it was time for his morning patrol.


	6. Close Calls and Skeletons

“Danny-o, pass me the wrench, would you?” Jack Fenton asked loudly.

“Sure,” Danny replied. He yawned and grabbed a large wrench from the toolbox, before climbing up the tall ladder to where his parents were among the auditorium rafters. They were installing the ghost shield, and had requested Danny’s help since it was free period.

“Thanks, Danny,” Maddie smiled and grabbed the wrench before passing it to Jack, who tightened one of the final bolts. The shield generator was surprisingly simplistic in terms of looks. With all the inner workings protected by a boxy metal case emblazed with the word Fenton. Only three small antennas protruding from the top marred the flat surface, and a glowing power gauge that would be visible to anyone standing below.

Well, Maddie, I think that’s it!” Jack beamed, slammed a large hand down on the box. The case rattled at the sudden impact, but remained intact.

“Alright, time to test it!” Maddie declared. Danny immediately slid down the ladder so as to be as far from the device as possible. He was almost out of the auditorium doors when it moaned to life, the bright green shield spreading out from the antennas and forming a protective cover over the majority of the auditorium. Danny found himself trapped, and a loud buzzing had suddenly filled his head.

Danny groaned, mostly due to the fact that he was now stuck until his parents decided the shield was satisfactory, and raised his hands to his ears. He experimentally covered them, and found that the buzzing did not stop, or decrease.

“Danny, are you okay?” Maddie asked from above, looking worriedly at her son.

“Fine, Mom,” Danny called, removing his hands from his ears.

 _Damn. Must be because of the shield,_ Danny thought, glaring at the green wall. It wouldn’t be the first time he had heard a slight buzzing while around his parent’s shield on human form, but it had never been so loud. The last time he had been near one was when Pariah Dark attacked. And there was so much going on then, that a light buzzing wasn’t really important.

The warning bell rang and Danny’s parents looked down at their son, who didn’t appear to be in any sort of hurry to leave.

“Danny, you’re going to be late,” Maddie called. Danny glanced up at them, then back at the shield.

“Um, yeah. I guess I should get going…” Danny’s voice trailed off.

Maddie continued to watch her son as he remained in place. “Danny.”

“Yes, Mom, going!” Danny said cheerfully. He gave her a small wave and she sighed, turning back to the shield generator. Danny quickly ducked behind a row of chairs and turned invisible. As he did so, a headache suddenly flared and Danny had to suppress a surprised cry of pain. _This_ had never happened before. The shield must have been stronger. Danny panted, struggling to maintain his invisibility, until he heard his mother say “okay, Jack. The shield is fully functioning. We can turn it off.”

The green barrio disappeared and Danny gratefully phased through the wall, but not before he heard his father’s reply.

“I can’t wait to try the new shield once we finish it.”

Danny frowned, standing invisible in the hallway. He wanted to stay and hear more, but he was already running late for gym. Not that he would try to be on time anyways. Danny always made sure to stagger his entrance so that he could get changed alone. That way no one would see his muscles or his scars.

Just as Danny hoped, the changing room was empty when he arrived. He yawned as he dropped down onto one of the benches in the middle of the room, having gotten only that one of hour of sleep at the Far Frozen last night. The morning patrol had been dull and uneventful, but Danny wouldn’t let that stop him from patrolling. He knew that, the moment he stopped, something big would happen and he wouldn’t be there to keep everyone safe.

He was slow in changing, trading out his jeans for a long pair of shorts, his converses for runners. He was pulling off his shirt when the door to the change room burst open and Dash came running in, duffel bag in hand, while complaining about “slow old geezers.” Danny assumed Dash had driven to Nasty Burger for lunch and hadn’t left in time to make it for the bell.

Dash, having not yet, noticed Danny (who was standing frozen with his now removed shirt in his hands), threw down his duffle bag and practically dove inside. When he pulled out his own gym shirt, finally he saw Danny over the collar.

“Ugh, _you’re_ here before me?” Dash spat in disgust. He lowered the shirt he was holding, which revealed Danny’s torso to the jock, and found himself as frozen as Danny was.

Later in the day, Danny would realize that he simply could have turned invisible before Dash had noticed him, but was too stunned by his sudden appearance to think of it. And now it was too late.

“Fenton?” Dash asked, as if he needed to seek confirm that this boy in front of him, who was totally ripped and covered in scars, was the same kid he beat up every day.

Danny just nodded dumbly in reply, before quickly turning his back on the jock and grabbing his shirt. This revealed his right arm to the blonde, who quickly noticed the jagged stitches and bright red wound they held together. Danny pulled his shirt on, one with long sleeves and as loose as all of his others, before quickly exiting the change room.

Dash watched him until the door closed behind the (formally assumed) weak boy. Fenton had muscles? And those scars! Had he fought people to earn them? Dash shook his head, attempting to clear his thoughts, and as he slowly he changed realization dawned on him. If Fenton had muscles like that, he could probably fight Dash back every time he beat up the raven-haired boy. Dash’s ego wouldn’t allow him to admit that Danny may even win, but he felt a surge of anger.

Fenturd, the wimp, could have fought him back and didn’t! Like he wasn’t even worth it! Dash scowled and marched out of the change room. He couldn’t have that, someone like _him_ taking pity on the self-proclaimed king of Casper High! He’d have to teach Danny Fenton a lesson. 

* * *

“You’re late, Fenton, That’s detention,” Teslaff said as Danny joined Sam and Tucker standing a little ways from the rest of the class. Danny nodded and accepted the pink slip that she passed him.

“And you too, Baxter,” Teslaff added as Dash entered the gym a couple seconds after.

“But, we have practice tonight!” Dash cried, indignant.

“We do, Baxter. And because of your tardiness, our star quarterback won’t be there,” Teslaff said. Danny couldn’t help but grin. It would seem that the teachers had gained more sense in the first two weeks back to school then they had all last year. ‘Celebrity’ status would no longer be good enough for Dash to avoid detention.

 _I knew there was something I like about Teslaff_ , Danny said, still grinning.

“What are you smiling about, Fenturd?” Dash hissed when Teslaff turned away.

“Well, Dash. It’s just that it looks like you won’t be able to weasel your way out of any detentions. If Teslaff is _giving_ you detention in place of practice, I doubt she’ll try to convince other teachers not to the next you go whining to her,” Danny said.

Dash was furious, because he knew that Danny was right. He clenched his fists, but before he could throw a punch, Teslaff had turned back to face them again.

“This year we are going to be doing fitness testing to keep track of and record your physical health. Everyone needs to take one of these sheets, then find a partner so you can start with today’s testing. The dates when we will be doing each test are already written on the sheet, so remember to bring these to class on those days.” Everyone shuffled forwards, grabbing a paper from Teslaff’s clipboard, then drifted off to find partners. Danny automatically moved towards Sam, and Tucker went off to find Valerie.

Danny glanced down at the paper.

**Heart rate before activities:**

**Number of push-ups in a row:**

**Number of sit-ups in one minute:**

**Heart rate after:**

Written below some of the other days were things like 10 minutes run, beep test, and timed run.

Danny paled as he stared down at the sheet. _Heart rate_. He gulped and glanced up at Sam, hoping that they would simply check their own heart rate.

“Okay, everyone start testing your partner’s heart rate. I have one minute timer set, when you finish, write down their heart rate, and switch.” Danny was wondering if it wouldn’t be too late to skip class when suddenly Teslaff shouted.

“Baxter! Lee! Stop fooling around!” Dash and Kwan, who had been throwing around a football (where they had pulled it from no one knew, and didn’t really want to ask) stopped, and the football dropped between Kwan’s open hands. Teslaff glared at the two jocks, Kwan looking sheepish and apologetic while Dash almost glared back, then scanned the groups of partners around the gym before settling on Sam and Danny.

“Lee, you’re with Manson. Baxter, you’re now with Fenton. Maybe now you’ll actually pay attention,” Teslaff said.

Danny’s eyes flickered between Sam and Dash. Dash was the last person that he wanted to be paired with. Dash, for some reason, didn’t appear to hold that sentiment. He was briskly striding across the gym and Danny started wondering if the jock was going to punch him as soon as he stopped. But Dash didn’t. He simply halted abruptly about a foot from Danny and glared down at him.

Although, he was only glaring down by an inch or two, and that was because Danny took special care never to stand at his full height when he was Fenton.

“Let’s just get this over with, Dash,” Danny sighed, reaching out either to take Dash’s wrist, or offer his own. Dash reached out and, much to Danny’s chagrin, grabbed the halfa’s wrist. Dash flinched at how _cold_ he was, but didn’t say anything. He had been expecting it, since the events of the first Ghostketeer meeting.

“Fenton, what’s with your finger?” Dash asked suddenly.

“What?” Danny looked at his hand, and saw a strange, black, crescent shaped bruise. In fact, it looked a little like teeth marks.

“Skulker,” Danny growled quietly, then looked up at Dash. “It’s a bruise, Dash, not a rabid dog. Just get this over with.”

Dash scowled, but went ahead anyways. He lowered two fingers onto Danny’s wrist, and continued to frown. “I don’t think I can find-”

Dash’s words were cut off as Danny suddenly spun out of his grasp, turning his back to the jock so he wouldn’t see the blue mist escaping from Danny’s mouth. Whatever ghost that was approaching was powerful, and it wasn’t one that Danny recognized.

“Ms. Teslaff, may I go to the washroom?” Danny asked quickly. He didn’t wait to see if Teslaff replied, and rushed out of the gym. This ghost was more important than the risk of more detention. As he changed into his ghost form, the ecto-exodus alarm started blaring. The sharp sound bit into his skull and Danny winced as he flew through the ceiling. Outside the building, the alarm wasn’t as loud, its main priority being deterring ghosts from entering the school. Messing around outside of it? Apparently Danny’s parents weren’t too worried about that.

Danny circled the school, green eyes scanning the area for any sign of a ghost. He was turn back to the parking lot when something slammed into his side. Danny a sharp crack and fell from the sky, slamming hard enough into the ground to make a shallow, Danny-sized crater. He groaned clutching his side an assessing the damage.

At least two rib fractures. Possibly a break. Danny turned his hand intangible and probed his ribs, finding that one was, indeed, broken. He hissed in pain as he realigned the bone, then looked to the sky for his attacker. His immediate thought was that someone had released Pariah Dark from his tomb, because the skeleton ghosts were his.

But this ghost was different. It wasn’t green, like the ones in Pariah’s army had been. Instead of was black and had bright, yellow eyes. The armour it bore was distinctly Viking.

Before Danny could move out of the way, the ghost was upon him, one bony (pun fully intended) knee on his chest, and a skeletal hand wrapped around his throat. The ghost’s mouth opened and a grin mist poured from between its teeth. Dany struggled under its strong grip, then pressed a firm hand against the skeletons chest. Ice spread across the bones and Danny punched it quickly. The skeleton shattered and broke apart, allowing Danny to fly up and out of harm’s way. He was reaching for the Fenton Thermos at his hip when the broken bones were drawn together and the skeleton reformed.

This was definitely not one of Pariah’s minions. They had been weak and were only overwhelming in large numbers. This skeleton was easily on par with Skulker, maybe even stronger. When it finished reforming, it raised its sword and slashed through the air. A wave of ecto-energy barrelled towards Danny, but he was easily able to dodge and send his own ecto-attack.

The blasts knocked the skeleton back, but otherwise did very little damage.

Danny quickly raised a shield as the skeleton struck out with his sword, and decided to focus on disarming it. He aimed for the skeleton’s wrist, firing several quick, short blasts while avoiding getting his head chopped off. He mostly succeeded, but the tip of the blade ended up dragging against the edge of Danny’s throat. Not deep enough to be of worry, but enough to be cumbersome.

The halfa hissed, pressed a hand to his throat and pulled it away covered in green ectoplasm and flecks of red blood. He ducked out of the way of the next attack and stepped inside the skeletons reach. Moving swiftly, he grabbed the skeleton’s wrist in his hands and pulled, twisted as he did so. The bones snapped and broke apart, and Danny quickly relinquished his hold of the skeleton in favour of the sword, and his thermos. He threw the blade across the lot and pulled the canister from his side, spinning around to face his foe.

The skeleton leapt up, preparing for a physical attack, but instead jumped right into the path of the thermos beam. The ghost wailed as it was sucked into the thermos, and Danny slammed the lid on tight. He looked at the sword stuck in the ground a few metres away and contemplated what to do with it. He flew over and stared down at it, reaching to pull it from the ground. But the moment his fingers brushed the hilt, the sword disintegrated.

Danny jumped back in surprise as the blob of ectoplasm dispersed.

“Well, at least that takes care of that,” Danny muttered, then groaned. His side was aching and his throat stung, but at least the bleeding had stopped. By the end of the hour, only a thin line would remain of the wound. In about five hours, his ribs would be fully healed. Danny flew back into the school, ignoring the blaring alarm, and unaware of the curious eyes that had watched the fight.


	7. Phantom's Files

Danny tugged at the collar of his turtle neck. It was never a type of shirt he had found comfortable, and he didn’t understand how Tucker could wear them all the time. But the high collar was necessary. The wound on his neck hadn’t fully healed yet, apparently he had underestimated its seriousness and almost passed out the moment he got home. Danny was just glad that gym had been the last class of the day, so he didn’t have to worry about missing any school. He assumed that his parents would patrol the halls of the school until they realized that there was no longer a ghost in sight, and by that time school would have been over.

So, after retrieving his things from his locker and the change rooms (actually thanking his parents profusely for the addition of the ghost shield, since it meant the halls would be free of screaming children) Danny had flown home and phased straight into the bathroom to clean up. A hard task indeed when the only thing stopping you from blacking out is sheer willpower. But luckily Danny had a lot of it.

He shifted uncomfortably on the couch, aware of his sisters scrutinizing glare, while trying not to agitate his ribs. He still had about an hour or two to go until they would fully heal, and his throat probably about ten minutes. And for those ten minutes, it would seem that Jazz was determined to bother him with her psychobabble.

“You weren’t at school,” Jazz said, finally breaking the silence.

Danny tugged the collar of his shirt again and looked up. “I was at school.”

“During the ghost attack, you weren’t there, Danny. In the auditorium, with everyone else. There was a roll call of sorts, and you were the only one not there. Where were you?”

“Not there,” Danny replied smartly, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“It’s not funny, Danny! We were worried sick about you, we thought that the ghost had been attacking you, or taken you!” Jazz shouted, standing up from her own seat across from him. She leaned forwards, eyes blazing and fists clenched at her side.

Danny looked down guiltily, but smirked internally because they hadn’t been too far from the truth.

“We spent an hour, _an hour,_ looking for you before Mom and Dad sent me home. And here I find you, sitting on the couch, without a care in the world! What do you have to say for yourself?”

“A ghost attacked and I panicked, I ran way instead of going to the auditorium, okay?” Danny snapped. He realized now that he probably should have sent a duplicate back to the auditorium, but he had been delirious from blood loss and there was no way he could have thought that through. Danny tugged at the collar once again.

It was so itchy, and rubbed uncomfortably against his ‘fresh’ wound. _Five minutes to go_ , Danny thought.

“What are you doing?” Jazz asked suddenly.

“What?”

“With your shirt, what are you doing?”

“Exactly what it looks like I’m doing.”

Jazz sighed in exasperation and reached out to grab his hand. Danny quickly ducked away, sliding down to the floor and rolling so that he was behind her. Jazz jumped when he moved, so fast her eyes could barely follow, and whirled around to face her brother. He was still tugging on his collar.

“Danny, what are you hiding?” Jazz’s eyes narrowed, focusing on his hand.

“Nothing, Jazz,” Danny said, rolling his eyes.

“Then let me see.”

Danny’s hand stilled. That would be the logical thing, wouldn’t it? But the wound wouldn’t be fully healed yet. She would see the angry red that danced across his throat, and then she would see tomorrow that it was gone.

“If there’s nothing there, you don’t need to see it,” Danny replied, crossing his arms.

“If there’s nothing there, you don’t need to hide it,” Jazz countered.

“And you still don’t need to see it,” Danny smirked. Jazz frowned, then jumped forwards. And Danny, the great Danny _Phantom_ had not been expecting it, and could not get out of the way before Jazz yanked down the collar of his shirt. Danny sucked in a sharp breath, prepared for the sudden outburst, as Jazz looked at his throat and saw… nothing.

There was nothing there.

“You win, Danny,” Jazz muttered, letting go of his collar. Danny rubbed his throat, sighing in relief. Apparently the wound had healed a little faster than he anticipated, and the lighting in their living room wasn’t good enough to illuminate the scar.

“Of course I do, Jazz. Now, I have… homework to do. Yeah, homework,” Danny nodded in approval and went upstairs, leaving a sulking Jazz in the middle of their living room. He closed his bedroom door and stood firmly in front of the mirror, ignoring his green eyes and instead pulling off his shirt and tossing it aside. Despite his room having no better lighting than downstairs, Danny’s enhanced eyes could easily find the scar. It was thin, but not unnoticeable. I they had been outside, Danny had no doubt that Jazz would have immediately spotting the white line curling around his neck and across his throat. He dragged his eyes away from his newest scar and checked his arm. He had removed the stitches after cleaning his neck, and found that the cut was now fully healed, although this scar wasn’t as thin as the one on his throat.

Danny sighed. Before, it was possible for him to at least wear the occasional t-shirt, if its sleeves were a little longer than normal, because his arms, while still scarred, hadn’t been horribly so. And if his upper arms were covered, no one paid attention to the muscle on his forearms. But this new scar would make that impossible. 

* * *

 

Jazz stood in the middle of the living room, right where Danny had left her. She watched is retreating back, no longer frowning, just thinking. Thinking about how he had changed so much in the last year. At first it was small things. He started to get clumsy, dropping beakers, tripping a lot. Then he started missing class, getting to school late and disappearing in the middle of a lesson. Jazz was just grateful that Mr. Lancer spoke to her instead of their parents. They surely would have thought Danny was overshadowed.

Their parents didn’t know the full extent of Danny’s growing unusual behaviour at school. They had gotten a call every now and then last year, to discuss that Danny was late. But it was never brought up just how often he was late or missed class.

Jazz, being the active observant that she was, noticed that his strange behaviour started only a couple of days after his accident in the lab. No one besides Danny knew exactly what happened that day. He had told them that he was fixing the Ghost Zone portal, and got shocked a little. And since only Danny had been home at the time, there was no way someone else could even try to guess what really happened. There were no clues.

But Jazz was adamant that the accident was the root of his problems. After a month the bags under his eyes formed, and he started to fall asleep in class. Jazz stayed up late for several nights, watching Danny. But she never noticed him leave the house. For sure he left, because she would peek into his room and he’d be gone, but she would never actually _hear_ him leave. But one day she had heard him come back. It had been quiet for hours, then she heard a loud thump coming from Danny’s room, and a groan. Jazz was going to go see him, when the door to his room opened and she heard the shuffling of dragging feet across the hallway carpet, then the bathroom door easing shut. Jazz had fallen asleep before Danny went back to his room. The next, he had appeared as normal as ever. Or at least as normal as his _new_ normal was.

She had confronted him several times about his activities, but never got a straight answer. Sam and Tucker didn’t even know what he was up to. Then, over the summer, she had seen so little of him it was like he was never even home. Then there was the Pariah Dark incident. Danny had been missing through most of that, then found injured outside the safety of the ghost shield. But he wouldn’t tell anyone what happened to him. Same with during the Disasteroid event. Everyone had seen so little of Danny while Phantom and that annoying tech ghost, the one that always shouted out his plans, put the plan to turn Earth intangible.

Once again, he wouldn’t tell anyone where he had been. It was like he didn’t trust anyone, didn’t want to let anyone in, and it pained Jazz to know that.

“You can trust me, Danny,” she whispered to the empty room.

* * *

That night, Danny wasn’t at the Ghostketeer meeting. Jazz had been the last person to see him, and Sam and Tucker’s worried texts were given quick responses of **I’m fine** and **I’ll see you tomorrow**. Unsure of what to do, they meeting continued as normal. Jack and Maddie gave them some more information on ghosts, showed them a couple more inventions, and moved on to target practice.

Tucker, taking a break from his practice, was fooling around on the lab’s computer. He was trying to guess Danny’s profile password.

“What about his character name on Doom?” Sam suggested after their fourth failed guess. Tucker shrugged and typed it in, sighing in frustration when the computer beeped that the password was incorrect.

“Why don’t you just hack it, this is taking too long,” Sam said, glancing at the PDA resting on the desk.

“Because I want to see if I can figure it out,” Tucker replied, though he also felt his eyes drawn to the small device.

“Fine. But this is going to take you forever. I even have some great new tech I could update Sharon with,” Sam goaded, pulling a thin box from her pocket. Tucker gasped and reached up for the chip, but Sam quickly yanked her hand back.

“Only if you hack it,” Sam said.

“But… why, Sam? I’m just doing this for fun, it sounds like _you_ actually want to look through his stuff!” Tucker hissed, glancing around the room.

“Yeah, Tuck, I do! Something’s up with Danny, has been for a long time, and we still don’t know anything about it. I’m sick of it!” Sam threw up her hands in frustration.

“If he wants to tell us, he will,” Tucker said.

“I know, I know. It’s just… why doesn’t he tell us? We’re his friends, his _best_ friends. His _only_ friends! He should know he can trust us with anything. I get why he might not tell his parents, they haven’t really been close in a while, and Jazz is constantly trying to psychoanalyze him, but us? Me?”

Tucker found himself grinning at the fact that Sam singled herself out in that rant, then turned serious. “Sam, if we find out his secret, whatever it is, before he tells us, how do you think he’ll react? Maybe he doesn’t want us to know for a good reason.”

“Tucker, this is _Danny_. Please? I’m worried about him, and I know you are too,” Sam pleaded. Tucker’s eyes widened. Sam _never_ pleaded, for _anything_. He nodded slowly, taking the new microchip from Sam, then turning his attention to his PDA. His thumbs moved quickly across the buttons and soon enough, the computer pinged. The first thing they noticed was that Danny’s background was the Danny Phantom logo, accented in a neon green and icy blue.

“You know, I never took Danny as a Phantom fan,” Tucker said.

“There’s a lot of things we don’t know about Danny,” Sam said. Their eyes scanned the desktop, skimming over the normal shortcuts, browsers, and links found on any computer. Besides a link to Doom, there was nothing you might not find on any other computer.

“Check his files,” Sam prompted. Tucker nodded and clicked through the various folders.

**Homework**

**Photos**

**Music**

**GZ**

Tucker clicked the GZ file.

**Map/locations**

**Friends**

**Foes**

**Neutral**

At random, Tucker chose the neutral file, and started scrolling through the document.

“It’s… ghosts. They’re profiles on different ghosts,” Tucker said.

“Not into ghost hunting? Dany has some explaining to do,” Sam scowled, pulling away from the computer.

“Should we…?” Tucker waved his hand at the screen, glancing around to make sure no one had been looking over their shoulder.

“No. We need to talk to Danny. If he won’t tell us anything, then we will,” Sam said, and Tucker nodded. He closed off the files and logged out.

“Tucker, Sam, no slacking! If you want to fight ghosts, you have to be able to hit them,” Maddie called. Sam and Tucker shared a look, then turned their gazes to the targets they had abandoned. Both were fairly worn and stained black from the ecto-blasts.

“Come on, Tuck. You want to be able to hit the ghosts, don’t you?” Sam asked sarcastically. Tucker chuckled and rose from the chair.

“Danny isn’t allowed to be the only one who can handle a gun,” Tucker agreed before they returned to their training.

 


	8. Frostbite's Warning

Danny yawned and rubbed his eyes, a rather childish but adorable gesture that left Sam, who was sitting beside him, smiling. The trio was sitting in their usual spot under a tree in the schoolyard for lunch. Tucker was eating his second steak sandwich, much to Sam’s disgust, and Sam had just finished own tofu sandwich, much to Tucker’s disgust. Danny, as usual, barely ate anything.

It had been a week since Danny had encountered the strange, skeletal ghost. And all throughout that week he found himself having to fight of similar ghosts every couple of hours. This, obviously, made his class attendance even worse than it had been while he was adjusting to the balance of ghost fighting and school during the first month he had his powers. Danny assumed that he had gotten three, maybe four, hours of mediocre sleep over the past week, and found himself longing for the eerie absence of ghosts that had been present what school had resumed. But so far he had been able to hide all of his new scars, including the one on his neck. He just took care to wear collared shirts to obscure as much of it as possible.

Danny had yet to hear from Frostbite on the matter of what was going on in the Ghost Zone, and on Danielle’s location. Both of which concerned him greatly. Dani would have contacted Frostbite right away, even if she didn’t plan on returning as soon as possible. _That_ Danny had expected. With Danielle wanting to be free to roam, it would just like her to put off returning to the Far Frozen. But she knew how worried Danny could become. She wouldn’t take so long to get in touch without good reason. Danny had been considering going back into the Ghost Zone to speak to Frostbite again, but between school, ghost fighting, and keeping at least a decent presence at Ghostketeer meetings, he hadn’t had the time.

He focused his gaze on his right hand, and more specifically the bruise that had been left by Skulker. It seemed to have grown, a small line of dark purple extending from his finger, down his palm and disappearing under the sleeve of his shirt. Danny knew that, if he pulled it up, he would see the line ending just past his wrist. He wasn’t entirely sure what to think of it, having never actually been bitten by another ghost that wasn’t supposed to bite (Bertrand as a panther hardly counted). It was just another question he would have for Frostbite when he finally saw him again. Or for Clockwork, since the old ghost was technically his guardian, but Danny could never get a straight answer out of him.

“Hey, Sam, did you get that information you wanted?” Tucker asked, breaking Danny’s reverie and ending his drawn out yawn. He glanced at his two best friends.

“Not yet,” Sam said.

“You probably should get it soon. You know, before Friday?” Tucker raise an eyebrow, a gesture that was hardly subtle, but without knowing the context, Danny had no way of interpreting their conversation.

“What’s on Friday?” Danny asked casually.

“Um, dude, the Ghostketeers?” Tucker said.

“’Um, dude’, that’s every night,” Danny countered, imitating Tucker. Sam chuckled at the exchange.

“Oh, right, you weren’t there, were you? This was during one of the meetings that you _missed_ ,” Tucker’s eyes narrowed. Danny frowned at his emphasis of the final word.

“Okay, but what’s on Friday?” Danny pressed. Tucker and Sam shared a glance, and gave each other a small nod, before rounding on Danny.

“Why are there profiles on various ghosts on your computer?” Sam asked suddenly.

Danny visibly flinched at the sudden question, and found several of his own running through his head.

_When had they been on his computer?_

_How had they gotten into his files?_

_How much did they see?_

Danny’s eyes flicked down to the PDA in Tucker’s hands then back up at his friends, but wasn’t comforted by the fact that he found the answer to his second question. For his first question? No doubt that would have been during one of the meetings he was absent for. The third? There was really only one way to find out.

“Which files?” Danny asked innocently.

“You know the files! We went on your computer, and there were a bunch of files about all these different ghosts!” Tucker said.

“And you had them divided, _Friends, Neutral,_ and _Enemies_! Why do you have ghost enemies?” Sam cried. Danny pressed his back against the tree, cornered by his two best friends, and growing increasingly worried. It didn’t _sound_ like they had actually found out too much, but just because it didn’t sound like it that didn’t mean they hadn’t.

“ _I_ don’t have ghost enemies. _Phantom_ does,” Danny hissed, choosing a plausible lie as quickly as possible.

“What?” Sam and Tucker, who had been leaning uncomfortably close, sat back and stared at him, dumbfounded.

“I, uh, I help him out… sometimes?” Danny offered, his statement sounding almost like a question.

“You help out Phantom?” Sam asked, wide-eyed.

“That is so cool!” Tucker shouted. “I can’t believe that you help-“

He was cut off by an extremely pale and cold and covering his mouth.

“Mmph! Ehmz ol!” Tucker exclaimed, jumped back. At Sam and Danny’s raised eyebrows, he repeated the sentence. “That’s cold! Dude, your hand is like ice!”

“Yeah, that’s just because of being around ghosts so much,” Danny lied easily. He was slightly bothered by how easily the false explanations slipped from his tongue.

“Is that the reason for everything, for why you’ve been acting so strange?” Sam asked.

“It sort of is. You know how Phantom has all of that Fenton tech? I give it to him I make profiles for the ghosts that he meets, I sometimes go and help him fight. Stuff like that,” Danny nervously ran a hand through his hair, taking in his friend’s quizzical stares.

“How long?” The Goth said, eyes narrowed.

“Since start of freshman year,” Danny winced, waiting for the inevitable explosion. But it didn’t happen. He opened his eyes and looked carefully at Sam. She didn’t look furious, or angry, just hurt.

“Is that where all the scars are from? Why you always leave in the middle of class, and come back looking like Dash just beat you up? Why you haven’t been hanging out as much?” Sam’s voice was quiet, so different from her usual loud demeanor, and Danny lowered his head, nodding guiltily. At least he wasn’t _exactly_ lying to them.

“Why didn’t you tell us? We could have helped…”

“I promised Phantom that I wouldn’t tell anyone, even you guys. I wanted to, but you guys could have gotten hurt and I… I couldn’t stand to see that happen, neither could Phantom.”

“But he was fine with seeing _you_ hurt?”

“Yeah, man, that’s not right,” Tucker added.

“It’s because my parents are ghost hunters they taught me how to fight ghosts, I can handle myself,” Danny frantically defended himself (both of him).

“Just like how you could handle the guns?” Sam asked.

“…Kind of,” Danny nodded.

“… I’ll see you later, Danny,” Sam said, then she stood up and walked away.

Sam, wait!” Danny jumped to his feet and moved to go after her, but Tucker stopped him.

“Just let her simmer for a bit,” Tucker said. “You know how she is, doesn’t like being protected and all. She’ll get over it. I already have!”

“I guess so.” Danny dropped back down onto the grass beside Tucker.

“So what’s it like working with Phantom? Can I meet him?” Tucker asked, leaning in again.

Danny grimaced. “You have to answer my question first. What’s happening on Friday?”

* * *

 

“You can’t be serious?!” Danny shouted, slamming a hand down on the kitchen table.

“Of course we are, Danny-boy!” Jack grinned. Danny’s forehead quickly followed the path of his hand, and his parents winced at the heavy thud as it met the wood.

“You’ve never been to the Ghost Zone you don’t know how dangerous it could be, and you’re going to take a bunch of teenager, and Mr. Lancer?” Danny asked, raising his head from the table.

“They’ve been training, and everyone can handle the blasters now. Besides, sweetie, in order to learn more about ghosts, we need to go where they live,” Maddie explained gently.

“Yeah, how else are we going to learn how to tear them apart, molecule by molecule?” Jack asked jovially, and Danny groaned.

“We decided that we should start taking short trips into the Ghost Zone, maybe one every couple of days, and we’ll only be in there for an hour two. There’s nothing for you to be afraid of,” Maddie said, trying to comfort her distraught son.

“It’s not _me_ that I’m afraid for,” Danny muttered, too quiet for his parents to hear. “We won’t be going far?”

“Of course not, sweetie. How irresponsible do you think we are, to take a bunch of amateurs deep into the Ghost Zone?”

 _Irresponsible enough to take them when_ you’ve _never been there. Irresponsible enough not to notice your son is_ half-dead!

But Danny bit down on his tongue and sighed. “I’ll be in my room.”

He walked up the stairs and transformed, phasing through his bedroom wall and flying to the park. He needed to think.

 _If we are only gone for a couple of hours like Mom said, then that shouldn’t be too bad. We’ve been training, so I guess they can at least fight off a low level ghost. I could always duplicate myself if we get into any real trouble but… no, the duplicate would disappear if it got hit. Phantom or Fenton, either way that would be strange. I’ll have to protect them while I’m human. I can do that, right? They already know how good I am with a gun, I have a worthy excuse as to why I can fight ghosts so well (although I doubt Mom and Dad are going to like it). As long as nothing_ too _bad happens, we should be okay._

_If worse comes to worst? I guess I’ll just have to go ghost and save them all, secrets be damned._

But Danny really hoped that it wouldn’t come to that.

* * *

 

By the time Friday rolled around, Sam had forgiven Danny for not telling her he was helping Phantom, though that didn’t stop her from making the occasional remark that ultimately had Danny feeling guilty about his lies all over again.

The Ghostketeers were in the Fenton’s lab, loading up the Specter Speeder, which now featured pull-out benches to accommodate the group of fourteen. When all their supplies, which consisted of anti-ecto weapons, food, and extra clothes, were stored away, everyone piled onto the bus. Maddie immediately claimed the driver’s seat, which resulted in a lot of grumbling from Jack as he sat down next to her, and Jazz sat immediately behind her. Most of the remaining members of the Ghostketeers filled the two long benches that lined the side of the Speeder, while Sam, Tucker, and Danny sat on a small bench near the back that faced forwards.

“Okay, is everyone ready? We all have our equipment?” Maddie asked, glancing back at the Ghostketeers. Everyone eagerly raised their arms, revealing their wrist-rays, while Paulina grumbled about how unfashionable to Fenton Phones were.

“You won’t be complaining if we run into Ember,” Danny muttered. Although he was now on fairly good terms with the deceased rock star, he had learned very quickly that she, much like Sam, despised shallow people. A fact Danny always found ironic, considering Ember gained more power when people chanted her name and basically worshipped her for her musical talents. But, deciding that he would not like to finish dying, kept this little bit of irony to himself.

“Do you mean Ember McLain?” Tucker asked. “Man, she was awesome!”

“Yeah, she also took over all of your minds while she was visiting, and helped Youngblood kidnap, or I guest parentnap, all the adults of Amity Park,” Danny said.

“So she’s evil?” Tucker’s eyes widened, and Danny found himself chuckling.

“No, not really anymore. She and Phantom actually get along pretty well since the Disasteroid incident,” Danny explained.

“You know, Danny, I’ve been meaning to ask you, during all that time we barely-“ Sam’s sentence was cut off by a sharp yelp as the Specter Speeder lurched forwards and was launched into the Ghost Zone. There was a dark flash, then suddenly they were surrounding by swirling green and black ‘sky’.

“Whoa, this is so cool!” Dash exclaimed. He was, quite comically, turned to look out one of the windows while resting on his knees like a small child might. Most of the Ghostketeers followed his example, echoing his words with their own “oohs” and “ahs”. Tucker and Sam (although Sam tried to hide hers) being no different than the others.

Seeing that Danny didn’t share the same sense of awe as everyone else, Tucker leaned down and whispered quietly.

“You’ve been here before, haven’t you?”

“Loads of times,” Danny nodded. “You sort of get used to it.”

Danny was certain that Tucker’s eyes would pop from his head if they got any wider. He had explained to him (and later to Sam when she had calmed down) that he helped Phantom on a daily basis, but had left out the part where he had gone into the Ghost Zone before.

“What are those door thingies?” Paulina asked.

“That’s just one of the things we are going to find out during our many trips into the Ghost Zone,” Maddie said.

“I’m keeping logs of everything we see and collecting data so that we can go back over our notes and extract any important information,” Jazz added, writing furiously in a notebook on her lap. Danny rolled his eyes and leaned back, resting his head against the back of the seat. He closed his eyes and focused on his ghost sense, stretching it out to expand beyond the typical 100 metre radius with which it operated. He could sense some minor ghosts, but nothing stronger than Skulker, and sighed with relief when he realized that there weren’t any skeletal ghosts around. He had had enough of them for half a lifetime.

“And maybe, if we meet a ghost, I can try my new weapon!” Jack exclaimed, pulled a rather large gun out from… You don’t really want to know.

Danny immediately recognized the large square barrel, and the smaller rectangular one. The canister, Danny could see now, housed a familiar looking red liquid. But he couldn’t recall where exactly he’d seen it before.

“So, that’s new,” Danny said, pointing to the gun. “What exactly does it do?”

“That’s a surprise, Danny-o! You’ll just have to see it in action! All the more reason to hope we find a ghost,” Jack grinned, running a hand over the larger of the two barrels.

“Yay,” Danny said sarcastically, keeping a wary eye on the gun. He had kept the blueprints for it too himself, hoping that without them his parents wouldn’t be able to complete the weapon. Apparently his hopes had been misplaced. He hadn’t overheard any conversations about the new weapons, and every time he checked the lab he never found anything new. And the only place Jack would have worked on something besides the lab is…

Danny slapped himself sharply. The Ops Centre! His parents used it so little that it hadn’t even crossed his mind to search it for any weapons.

 _They could have all kinds of new weapons up there_ , Danny though, suddenly horrified. _They might even have a way to capture me…_

He shook his head, and prayed that for once in his life he could rely on his father to be as incompetent as people made him out to be.

The first hour in the Ghost Zone passed by uneventful, much to Danny’s delight, and the others’ annoyance. They wanted fight, they wanted to see the ghost boy! Not some floating doors and swirling green stuff. Danny was just relaxing, deciding that maybe nothing would go wrong, when a cold feeling spread through his body and escaped through his mouth. Danny quickly pressed a hand to his mouth, hiding the blue mist, and once again focused on his ghost sense. He immediately recognized the approaching ghost and jumped up from his seat.

“Don’t shoot!” Danny yelled, the same time that his father cried “GHOST!” and raised his large weapon.

Danny lunged forwards, yanking the gun back before his father could fire, and grinned out the windshield at the white, furry form flying towards them.

“Danny, that’s a ghost out there! We need to kill it before it can attack us,” Maddie said, reaching forwards to activate some of the Speeder’s security measure.

“No, Mom, don’t!” Danny repeated, grabbed her hand and ignoring the fact that she could probably feel how cold he was. “He’s a good ghost.”

“Danny, there are no good ghosts! All ghosts are evil, if they try to tell you otherwise, they are tricking you,” Maddie said sternly.

“Not all ghosts are bad,” Danny snapped, then recoiled when he saw his mother’s expression. He continued softly. “They aren’t all bad. Some of them really just want to help, like him.”

Danny motioned out the window the large yeti, which had now stopped in front of the stilled Speeder.

“Great One!” The yeti called, waved a large paw and grinning fiercely. Paulina shrieked at the sight of Snowstorm’s large, sharp teeth, and fell back off her sight, while Dash let out a very ‘manly’ scream. The rest of the Ghostketeers had similar reactions, while Sam and Tucker moved up to stand behind Danny.

“Do you know this ghost, Danny?” Maddie asked.

“Um… yeah, sort of,” Danny chuckled nervously as his mother’s expression settled into one of anger.

“You are going to explain yourself, Daniel, and soon,” Maddie said.

Danny chuckled again, then stepped away so he was next to the door. “Of course, Mom, just… let me do that in a minute.”

Danny slammed his palm against the button to open the door, ignoring the protests of the others, and floated out into the Ghost Zone. He flew around to the front of the Speeder and approached the ghostly yeti.

“Snowstorm, how are you?” Danny asked.

“I am well, young Ph-enton,” Snowstorm stumbled over the name, casting a quick glance at Danny’s parents.

“Yeah, they don’t know. Thanks for that,” Danny smiled.

“Of course. I bear news from Frostbite,” Snowstorm explained.

“Really?” Danny floated up so he was level with Snowstorm’s face. She nodded eagerly and continued once Danny had motioned for her to do so.

“We have finally received word from Danielle. She had noticed the strange activities on the Ghost Zone, and had been staying out of it for some time. She will be returning home shortly, and has promised that she will contact you once she does.”

Danny sighed in relief. “What about the disappearing ghosts? Have you found anything out about that?”

“We sent out several parties to the deepest parts of the known Zone. So far, only one has returned.”

“Only one party?”

“Only one yeti,” Snowstorm said sadly.

“What? But you are some of the strongest ghosts in the Zone! Your ice powers, they can only be matched by the strongest of hot cores,” Danny ranted.

“Yes, we know, Great One. This is why Frostbite is extremely worried. As soon as he sensed you entering the Zone, he sent me here to warn you.” At this point, Danny noticed the Infimap that Snowstorm held, and remained oblivious to the fact that some of the braver Ghostketeers (Paulina and Dash excluded) had ventured from the Speeder to watch the exchange. “There is a ghost gaining power in the banished lands, a strong one, and he has been… recruiting. Those who refuse his offer, it seems he simply takes them. That is what Flurry informed us.”

“The banished lands?”

“Where ghosts sentenced by the Observants or the king-” Danny lowered his eyes from Snowstorm’s. “-go. It is supposed to be impossible to return. If they do, the king has the power to eradicate them.”

“But someone is trying to return?” Danny asked.

“Yes. Frostbite is afraid of the events to come, and has wished for you to remain out of the Ghost Zone until he calls for you. He has counselled with Princess Dorathea and Lady Pandora, and both have agreed to send protectors to you, to help you gain power for coming confrontation.”

“And I supposed there’s no way that we can avoid one from happening?” But Danny already knew the answer, thinking back on the numerous skeletons that never seemed to cease their activities. He grimaced when Snowstorm shook her head.

“Be strong, Great One. This foe may be even greater than Pariah. We will all need you,” Snowstorm said solemnly. “May colds winds be at your back.”

“And pure snows welcome you home,” Danny replied, equally as solemn, as Snowstorm flew away. He floated there, arms crossed, head lowered in contemplation, when Tucker interrupted his thoughts.

“Hey, dude, what was that all about?” Tucker asked.

“Why didn’t you blast that ghost?” An irritated Valeria asked. The only reason she hadn’t shot it, was because Danny had somehow seemed to always be in the way.

“Because, Val, not all ghosts deserve to be blasted,” Danny said, spinning around to face the Red Huntress. “But you always seem to shoot first, ask questions never, don’t you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Valerie scoffed.

“Sure you don’t,” Danny said, before heading back into the Speeder.

“You will explain yourself, Danny,” Maddie said when her son returned to his seat. He simply nodded, resting his elbows on his knees with his hands folded over his mouth. Sam pulled backed the hair that had fallen into his eyes.

“Are you going to tell us what happened?” Sam asked, rather gently. For a moment, it looked as if Danny’s eyes flashed green, but Sam brushed it off as a trick of the light. After all, the light in the Ghost Zone was very strange.

“I… I think I just might have to, if things continue like this,” Danny’s voice was quite, and Sam and Tucker almost didn’t catch what he said. They shared a stunned look, before settling down on either side of him. Sam running her hands through Danny’s hair to try and calm him down because, despite how he was acting, she knew that he was most definitely _not_ calm, while Tucker muttered quietly about “clueless lovebirds” as Danny leaned into her hand.


	9. Dash's Discovery?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I just realized that I forgot to post this chapter when I finished writing it. It's kina short, but hey, since I forget, you'll get two updates in a row! Yay for you guys!

Danny Fenton’s gym class was standing around the Amity Park public pool. At last minute, Teslaff had decided to add swimming laps to the fitness testing, and had booked the pool and brought the class over. Currently, Teslaff was reaming Danny because he refused to take off his long sleeved shirt which, Dash noticed, had a slightly higher collar than usual.

Despite the assumptions made about Dash Baxter, he was not a stupid boy. He may not have been book smart, but he wasn’t stupid. This smarts were one of the reasons he had yet to exact his revenge on Danny Fenton for thinking that he didn’t have to fight Dash back. First, he needed to figure Fenton out.

The dweeb had been his personal punching bag for a long time, ever since fourth grade, in fact, when Danny had dared to stand up to Dash and stopped him from wailing on that Mikey kid. He had never (to Dash’s knowledge) fought back since that day. Now that he knew Danny easily could have, he needed to reassert his dominance by making Fenturd fight back, and beating the crap out of him.

So, Dash had taken to observing Fenton closely. Every time he slammed Danny into a locker, Dash noted the lack of a wince. Every time he threw a bunch, he noticed how it took Danny a moment to act pained, as if he had to remember that that should have hurt. And what about all of those scars? Dash assumed that he had given Danny some of them, which, in the deepest part of his mind, made him feeling guilty, but there’s no way he was the cause of all of them.

So, the question became, who exactly is Danny Fenton? And what does he do?

Dash started to make a mental list.

Fenton sucked at school, so he was stupid. But, he could write and speak Latin apparently, so he must not have been that stupid.

He was a pathetic wimp, first out the door whenever a ghost attacked. But, he knew how to handle a gun, and he had spoken calmly to that monster ghost when they went into the Ghost Zone last Friday. Plus he had all those muscles, so he must not have been that wimpy.

He was a scaredy-cat, had to be since he always ran away from ghosts. But, again, he conversed calmly with the yeti. So he must not have been that scared.

Dash grabbed his head and groaned in frustration. He wasn’t answering any questions, he was only getting more!

 _Think, Dash, think! What do you_ really _know about Fentina?_

He speaks Latin.

He isn’t afraid of ghosts.

He’s strong, knows how to handle a gun, and probably knows how to fight.

He might actually be smart.

He is covered in scars and has that strange bruise on his finger.

He is always, always, _always_ the first to leave when a ghost comes.

Dash suddenly stopped pacing. Fenton doesn’t leave _when_ the ghost comes, he always leaves a minute or two before. Every time he runs out the door, shouting urgently about how he has to use the bathroom or grab something from the locker, a ghost would appear, and then Phantom come soon after to fight it off. Then Phantom would disappear as soon as the fight was over, and Danny would usually return to class a few minutes later—although sometimes he didn’t return at all—looking as though he had just been jumped. A couple times he was even hiding a _limp_.

Frowning, Dash turned to look at Fenton, who was losing his argument with Teslaff. Finally, the gym teacher shouted something about “the shirt going, or you’re going to detention!” and Fenton sighed in frustration. He glared at Teslaff while complying to her order, and pulling off his shirt.

The class, who had been watching the argument with mild amusement, gasped, and several of the girls giggled. They all took note of Fenton’s toned abs. But Dash, who had already known Fenton actually had muscles, focused on the scars before the rest of the class noticed them.

Several more gasps ensued from the watching class as noticed that there was more scar tissue than healthy skin, but Dash found himself noticing three specific things. A black line stretched from Fenton’s finger, where he had noticed the bruise was last week, up his arm and to his chest before it ended at a slight split. The cut on his arm was fully healed, just another scar over the others. And there, on his throat, was something new.

The scar was deceptively elegant looking, a white line stretching from the left side of his neck to curl around his throat. But it was a scar that should have come from a fatal wound. A wound that Dash had seen an ebony skeleton give to Danny Phantom.


	10. Glowing Green Eyes

_*Click_ *

“What was that?” Danny asked abruptly, turning to look at his classmates. He had just discarded his shirt, hearing the expected gasps, and surprisingly a couple of giggles from the girls. A small group of which, he noticed, were huddled together and whispering avidly. Danny’s shoulders fell. They had taken a photo of him. He bit his lip, glancing nervously around the class, and deciding what he should do. He could easily march over there, grab the phone, and crush it in his hand, but that would obviously be suspicious. He could ask the girls to delete the photo, but judging by the confused looks on his peers faces, he had only managed to hear the camera go off because of his advanced hearing.

Danny sighed, realizing that there really was nothing he could do. At the moment. He’d make sure to delete the phone later.

“What’s with your arm?” Someone in the group asked, and Danny’s gaze found Mikey, the small nerd that Dash liked to pick on. His second favourite after Danny. Danny looked at his arm, and swore softly when he noticed that the mark had stretched even further over the weekend.

“It’s a bruise,” Danny said.

“That’s a weird bruise,” Lester chimed from beside Mikey.

“Yeah, yeah it is,” Danny said, his voice surprisingly dark. He had to force himself to pull his mind off the subject of Skulker, and what he may have done to Danny, and looked up at the gawking class.

“Fenton, what are all those scars from?” Teslaff asked. Danny glanced down at his chest, cringing at his old wounds.

“You guys all know how clumsy I am,” Danny offered with a shrug. A few of the students nodded slowly.

“Those scars aren’t something you can get from tripping,” Teslaff said. She raised a hand to place on Danny’s shoulder, but he easily stepped out of reach despite his back being to her.

“Trust me. The way I fall, they can be,” Danny said, once again surprisingly dark. The class remained quiet, unsure of how to respond. Tucker and Sam watched him from nearby, understanding the sort of ‘falls’ he was talking about. They had glimpsed his scars before, but hadn’t expected them to be this bad.

“What about that one?” Valerie asked, stepping forwards with one hands pointing to Danny’s throat. The halfa quickly slapped a hand over the scar and stepped back, becoming increasingly uncomfortable. This was too much, he should never have removed his shirt. He should have just taken the detention and let that be it.

“Um, Mrs. Teslaff? The test?” Danny said awkwardly, sweeping his hand towards the water.

“Right… Everyone, go to your partner, and take their pulse!” Teslaff shouted, regaining control of the class. Sam and Tucker gave him a sympathetic look as he shuffled over to Dash. The jock in question had not stopped staring at Danny since the start of the ordeal, causing the halfa to run a nervous hand through his hair.

“Can we just get this over with?” Danny said, sparing a glance up at his partner.

“Fine, Fenton,” Dash said. Danny was surprised by the lack of an insult, so surprised that he forgot to wince when Dash grabbed his wrist with enough strength to make anyone cry out. Danny didn’t make a sound. Something flickered in Dash’s eyes, but before Danny could figure out what, Teslaff called for them to start, and Dash quickly located Danny’s very slow heartbeat.

The jock’s eyes widened as the minute dragged on, and Danny’s heartbeats remained few and far between. Danny could have sworn he was twitching with how nervous he was. When Teslaff called that the minute was up, Dash’s movements were slow and calculated. He dragged his hand away from Danny’s wrist, scowling slightly, and silently wrote down his heart rate on the sheet, before passing it back to Danny.

Danny felt his stomach drop.

**34 bpm**

He looked up nervously at Dash, and found that the jock was simply holding out his own wrist as Teslaff called for the next minute start. Danny complied, counting out 72 beats for Dash and writing it on his sheet.

“Dash, I-”

“I knew you were a freak, Fenturd,” Dash spat. Danny recoiled slightly, his distaste of that particular word apparent on his face, and for a moment it almost looked like… Dash _regretted_ saying that. But he said it nonetheless. They didn’t talk for the rest of the fitness testing, taking down each other’s after activity heart rate (41 bpm for Danny), and then returning to their own social circles before going to get changed.

Teslaff called for everyone to hand their sheets in, and Danny quickly took a pen and re-wrote his heart rate so it would be average.

“Everything okay, Danny?” Sam asked as they walked to the change rooms.

“Hm? Oh, yeah. Everything’s fine, it’s just that Dash… does it seem like he’s acting weird to you?” Danny stopped walked and crossed his arms, eyes following the jock.

“Actually, yeah, a little. I mean, he didn’t even punch you!” Tucker said, turning to look at Danny.

“Or threaten me.”

“Or threaten you! Maybe he’s sick?”

“Or all those hits in football have finally started taking their toll,” Sam sneered.

“So brain damage?” Tucker mused.

“Maybe we should give Paulina a couple whacks on the head, you never know. It seems to be doing wonders for Dash,” Sam grinned.

“Ooh, yeah! Then, maybe, she’d actually accept my date!”

“Sure, right after she goes out with Danny.”

“She _did_ go out with Danny, remember?”

“Not exactly,” Danny chuckled, remembering Kitty’s romp in the human world.

“What?” Sam and Tucker asked simultaneously.

“Well, she was being overshadowed. By Kitty, Johnny Thirteen’s girlfriend.

“You mean that biker ghost?” Tucker asked.

“Yeah, that biker ghost. Kitty was tired of Johnny always checking out living girls whenever they came here, so she overshadowed Paulina and went out with me to make Johnny jealous. At the time, we weren’t exactly on the best of terms,” Danny explained. His friends nodded in understanding, and they went to get changed. 

* * *

Dash was pacing again, this time in his bedroom as he prepared for the Ghostketeer meeting tonight. They would be going into the Ghost Zone tonight. He was excited to go there again, to see the place where his hero lived.

His hero.

Dash couldn’t help but let the thoughts circulate. Fenton’s strange behaviour started a little before Phantom appeared. And Phantom was typically only seen during fights, or when he was out scouring the town for any enemies. Unlike other ghosts, which could sometimes be seen around town in a non-hazardous environment (meaning they weren’t attacking, but simply there), Phantom was never seen simply… hanging out.

Would he hang out? Did ghosts even have friends? Dash had always been positive that if Phantom made himself more open, went around Casper High more often, then they would be great friends. Now he wasn’t so sure.

After hearing some of Mr. and Mrs. Fenton’s theories on ghosts, specifically about them keep corporeal form, Dash had come up with a few of his own theories on how Phantom and Fenturd were related.

Because he refused to believe that they could possibly be the same person. Not that loser. It just wasn’t possible that Dash was wailing on his hero every day.

Of course, if his theory was correct, he kind of was.

During one of their meetings, Mrs. Fenton had explained that the reason ghosts don’t spend all their time in the human world, is because they can only hold a corporeal form for so long. The stronger the ghost, the longer that they can hold their form. But no ghost could last indefinitely without going into the Ghost Zone to ‘recharge.’ The same had to stand for Phantom, but there was no way that, if Phantom ever went back into the Ghost Zone to regain his energy, he could just appear right when a ghost attacks. Surely it would take him longer than a span of three minutes to find out that a ghost was attacking, then reach the Fenton portal to leave the Ghost Zone.

So, it stood to reason, that Phantom had some method of staying in the human world for long periods of time, while not exhausting his energy. And he found himself wondering, if this method meant Phantom wasn’t as great a guy as he thought.

And there was only one method that Dash could logically think of. He grabbed his cell off his desk, and opened up his group conversation with Paulina, Kwan, and Star.

_Dash: I think I know where Phantom is_

_Paulina: The ghost boy <3 ? Rly?! Can we meet him?_

_Star: You better not be lying, Baxter_

_Dash: I’m not, I swear! I kno where he is!_

_Kwan: Tell us!_

_Dash: 2night. Star, come to Ghostketeers with us_

_Star: Why?_

_Dash: You want 2 meet Phantom, don’t you?_

_Star: …_

_Star: Okay, I’ll go._

Dash glanced at his clock. It was six-thirty. He had to be at Fenton Works in half an hour. And when he got there, he would get to meet his hero. 

* * *

While Dash was pacing in his bedroom, Danny, Sam, and Tucker, who had been on their way up to Danny’s room, were stopped in the Fenton’s living room by Danny’s parents, and their Vice Principal.

Danny sat in the middle of the couch, where the cushions dipped from wear, and Sam sat right next to him, blaming the “stupid couch” for her ‘falling’ next to Danny. Tucker sat on Danny’s other side, smirking it the couple that was not a couple, while staying as far from the dip as possible. While Sam might not have minded practically slipping into Danny’s lap as soon as she sat down, Tucker decided that that same experience just wasn’t for him.

Maddie and Jack were on the smaller couch, and Lancer sat on the armchair. There was a tense, awkward silence, broken after several minutes by Lancer.

“I think Danny needs psychological counselling.”

“What?!” Danny leapt off the couch, forcing Sam to jump up with him, while Tucker displayed his outrage by actually looking up from his PDA. He looked up in time to notice that Danny’s eyes flashed green for a moment, but it seemed like no one else did.

“Ms. Teslaff informed me of the events that transpired in gym class today,” Lancer said solemnly, and Danny dropped back onto the couch.

“So what?” Danny asked, feeling a sudden surge of annoyance at his gym teacher.

“What happened during gym today?” Maddie turned her gaze to Danny, eyeing him carefully.

“Ms. Manson, Mr. Foley, if you would be so kind as to roll up Mr. Fenton’s sleeves,” Lancer said.

Sam and Tucker nervously looked at Danny, who was fuming. This was none of Lancer’s business!

“Danny, what’s he talking about?” Maddie asked sternly, while Sam and Tucker resisted Lancer’s request.

Danny glared at Lancer. He had hoped that, despite his gym class seeing his scars, he could still keep it a secret from his parents. Seeing as they weren’t in contact with any of his peers or their parents, and any phone calls home always ended up being vague and lacking detail. What Danny had not expected, was Lancer’s interference. The halfa and the overweight teacher had a sort of glaring contest.

It was unnerving to everyone present.

Mr. Lancer, being an average human being, moved in the normal way that humans do, despite when they want to be still, and his eyes wavered from time to time. Danny, being half-dead and very in tune with his ghost side, didn’t moved at all. He didn’t blink, and Tucker and Sam were fairly certain he didn’t even breathe.

“Danny, you better explain yourself. And we are still waiting to hear about what happened in the Ghost Zone on Friday,” Maddie said. Without taking his eyes off Lancer, Danny slowly raised his arms and offered one each to Sam and Tucker. They obliged, rolling back his sleeves and revealing his scars from ghost fighting. Underneath the light fabric, his muscles were tense, as if he was preparing to fight.

Maddie and Jack gasped when they saw Danny’s arms.

“Danny, have you been…?” Jack didn’t want to finish his sentence, and left it hanging in the air, but everyone knew what his last two words would have been.

“Of course not!” Danny snapped, finally moving and turning to look at his parents.

“Don’t snap at us, young man!” Maddie said. “If you haven’t been s-self-harming, then what are those scars from?”

“I do things, okay? I don’t just go to school, then hang out with Sam and Tucker. I _do_ other stuff,” Danny shouted.

“And does this _stuff_ involve that ghost you were talking to? You know ghosts are bad, it could have attacked you!” Maddie rose from her seat, and Danny soon followed.

“ _She_ , Mom. Snowstorm is a she! And maybe it does, why does that matter?”

“Because ghosts are evil!”

“Not all ghosts are evil!”

“Name one that isn’t,” Maddie demanded, stepping towards her son.

“I can name a bunch! Snowstorm, Frostbite, Clockwork, Pandora, Dora, the Dairy King. Danny _Phantom_!” Danny spat the last word as if it were a blade to be used against his parents. And, in a way, it was. Phantom was the ghost that they hated the most.

“Phantom _is_ evil! Once we catch him we’ll prove it to you.” Maddie reached out, as if to comfort her distraught son, but Danny jumped back with surprising agility.

“He saved the world from the Disasteroid, Mom. He could have let it destroy everything, but he didn’t. And what are you going to do when you finally catch him? Experiment on him? Rip me apart-” Danny’s rant was cut off as he suddenly dropped to his knees, clutching his head and crying out in pain.

“DANNY!” Sam and Tucker shouted, jumping off the couch to crouch beside him. Danny had his forehead pressed firmly into the carpet, and his nails dug into the skin around his ears.

**Daniel Phantom, I feel that it is about time we meet each other.**

“What do you want?” Danny gasped, not realizing that he was talking out loud, or that flecks of bright green were showing in his eyes.

**I simply what to meet you. It is always good to see the face of the person who is going to kill you.**

“I think you mean finish killing,” Danny growled. His head was pounding, it was like it was being ripped apart over, and over, and over again.

**I suppose that I do. You _will_ meet me at Sable, in three days’ time.**

“What makes you so sure about that?” Danny groaned, still clutching his head.

**Because you will have incentive.**

An image of a large, white door flashed through Danny’s mind, and then one of Sam, before the pain suddenly vanished. Danny panted and tried to rise to his feet, only to drop back down. He leaned back with his head tilted back, and opened his eyes to find everyone staring at him.

“Are you okay, Danny?” Sam asked, and suddenly her amethyst eyes were all that he could see as she worriedly checked him over. Danny felt a smile tugging at his lips, and then he noticed the green light reflected in Sam’s eyes.

He brought a shaky hand to his face, raising it over his own eye, and stared at the light cast on his pale flesh. Danny quickly pressed his hand against his eye, but could still see through his fingers. He shot to his feet, accidentally knocking Sam over as she let out a startled yelp.

“I-I…” Danny stuttered, taking a deep breath. The green faded from his eyes, but they wouldn’t stop staring.

“I have to go,” Danny said finally, before spinning around and running out of the house. Sam and Tucker quickly chased after him, but even Sam couldn’t catch up.

* * *

 

The Ghostketeer meeting that night was cancelled, much to the disappointment of the A-listers. Danny didn’t return home that evening, but his family and friends spent hours searching for him. Finally, well past midnight, Sam stumbled upon him in one the more hidden locations of the park. Danny was standing in the middle of a clearing, with his back to Sam, and she approached him slowly and she reached for her phone.

“Don’t call them,” Danny said, startling Sam. She had been careful to make almost no noise. How on Earth had he heard her?

“Not yet at least.” Danny still didn’t turn to face her. Instead, he was looking up at the stars.

“Danny, what’s going on?” Sam asked cautiously. She stopped several feet behind him. Danny sighed, lowering his head and running a hand through his hair.

“It… It’s safer if you don’t know. It _should_ be safer, but apparently it doesn’t matter. Apparently, no matter what I do, you guys are going to get dragged into it!” Danny shouted, throwing up his hands.

“Into what, Danny?” Honestly, Sam was a little scared right now, seeing Danny act this way. He was always come, collected, goofy, and _adorable_.

“I’ve been lying to you guys, and I should _keep_ lying. But it’s just… it’s hard when it’s just me, you know?” Danny finally turned. Not completely, just so that Sam could see part of his face. And he looked incredibly sad.

“I’ve tried, really, to do it all on my own. And I’ve succeeded, but every time… it’s always easier when you know. But I can’t stand to see you guys, you and Tucker, heck, even Jazz that one time, like that. I’m supposed to be the hero, I’m supposed to protect you guys, and then he shows me _that_. I can’t let that happen,” Danny’s voice softened to a hoarse whisper.

“Please don’t hate me, for what I’m about to do, and for not telling you.”

“I don’t understand, what-”

And suddenly Danny was there, in front of Sam, tilting up her chin, and pressing his lips against hers. Sam’s eyes slipped shut, and through them she saw a bright flash of light.


	11. Revelations

Sam winced at the bright flash and opened her eyes. Danny did to, but his eyes weren’t their normal icy blue. They were a bright electric green. Sam yelped and jumped back, pushing herself away from Danny. Hurt flickered in his eyes as she did.

In his bright, _green_ eyes. Sam had seen them back at Fenton Works only hours ago. And she realized that she had seen them in Ghost Zone to. But that didn’t mean it was any less shocking.

Sam stepped back once more, so that she could get a better look at Danny. Even though it was late at night (or early in the morning, depending on your interpretation) the stars and moon were bright. The silver light reflected off of his snow white hair, and illuminated Danny’s black and white jumpsuit. Her gaze was drawn to the stylized DP in the middle.

“Um… Sam?” Danny asked quietly, and Sam realized that she had been staring. She also realized that Danny had just kissed her. She raised a hand to cover her mouth, feeling her cheeks redden.

“Oh, geez, Sam. Just… um… just forget I ever did anything, okay?” Danny said suddenly, raising his hands defensively. White rings formed around his waist, spreading across his body until he was no longer Phantom, but Fenton again. “Forget that I told you, forget that I kissed you. I know, we’re friends, and… and you probably hate me for lying and this wasn’t supposed to happen. Clockwork!”

Sam jumped as Danny suddenly started yelled up at the stars.

“You’re supposed to stop be from doing stupid stuff like this! Aren’t you? What kinda lousy guardian are you?” Danny said.

Finally, it dawned on Sam that Danny was panicking, and she smiled. When Danny turned around to face her, she was standing right next to him, and it was his turn to jump back. He saw that Sam was smiling, and let a goofy grin slide onto his face, but it quickly vanished when Sam slapped him. It wasn’t hard or anything, but unexpected.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Sam said, her voice low. Danny, who for a moment had thought she slapped him because of the kiss, recovered quickly to defend himself.

“I’ve already told you why, several times! Because it’s dangerous,” Danny said.

“Does your family know? What about Tucker?”

“No! Nobody knows, nobody was _supposed_ to know but… big things are happening and I don’t think it would stay secret for much longer anyways,” Danny nervously ran his fingers through his raven locks.

“If you can tell us now, why couldn’t you tell us before?” Sam asked, her eyes narrowing.

“Because now it’s more dangerous if you _don’t_ know. Stuff is going down in the Ghost Zone, stuff I don’t honestly really know that much about, and I’m worried, and something big is coming. And I don’t know if I can do something about it, but I kind of have to, considering I’m responsible for everyone and, oh Clockwork, _I’m_ responsible for everyone. This isn’t going to-”

“Danny!” Sam snapped, cutting of Danny’s rant.

“Yeah?” Danny asked sheepishly.

“Why didn’t you tell us before?” Sam asked again.

“Because you guys would have gotten hurt,” Danny whispered.

“You don’t know that, Danny! We seem to be handling ourselves pretty well with the Ghostketeers, so you. Don’t. Know. That.”

“But I do, Sam!” Danny started shouting again. “I know _exactly_ what would happen if you guys did know. Sure, I’m always worse off, but you guys _do_ get hurt. And you start doing poorly in your classes too. And you have your scars, like mine, but you guys shouldn’t because I’m supposed to stop you guys from getting hurt. Heck, it goes against my very _being_ to let you guys get hurt!”

“Danny, calm down!” Sam said, almost snapping again.

Danny took a deep breath and his eyes, which had slowly been changing green throughout his tirade, changed back to blue.

“What do you mean you know _exactly_ what would happen?” Sam grabbed Danny’s hand, which he was raising to once again drag through his dark hair. She didn’t react to how cold it was.

“There were… situations, with ghosts. And you guys knew that I was Phantom, and you helped me. And… you guys kept getting hurt,” Danny said. “But at the end, everything always went back to the way that it was supposed to be.”

“I guess I forgive you, then,” Sam said, but she was still frowning a little.

“What?” Danny asked, his turn to be confused.

“You… uhm…” Sam’s cheeks flushed light pink. “You kissed me.”

“Oh. You can just forget that happened, okay? I know, we’re friends, we’ve known each other for years now, it was weird, and… just forget it, okay?”

“What if I don’t want to?” Sam asked.

“Then I guess, you don’t forget?” Danny said, smiling a little.

“Good. Now, everyone is worried about you. We should probably get you home,” Sam said, turning around to leave the clearing.

“About that. I don’t really want my parents to know, and after that episode, they’re going to ask questions. Plus, since you know, I should probably tell Tucker. He might start to feel left out otherwise,” Danny said.

“You guys can stay at my place, then. My parents are out of state for an undetermined amount of time. Something about visiting friends in Europe.”

“Okay, good.” Sam turned to leave again. “Flying is faster you know.”

Sam froze and looked back at Danny as the rings spread from his waist, changing him into Danny Phantom. She couldn’t help but let a nervous grin slip onto her face as Danny offered his hand, which she gladly took. He pulled her close, told her to hold on tight, then shot up into the sky. Sam shrieked for a moment at the sudden increase in altitude, then looked down over Amity Park. At night, it was beautiful.

Being a small town, there were no large downtown buildings to obscure your view or cast bright, obnoxious light into the sky. Streetlamps cast their rounded pools of golden light onto the dark street, the occasional headlight casting long shadows. Most building lights were out, and behind them was the glow of Fenton Works.

Sam craned her neck back to look at it and found that, at night, the sign wasn’t so garish from a distance. It instead cast the street in a warm green and orange glow.

She was a little disappointed when Danny brought them lower down and phased through her mansion into her bedroom.

“I’ll call Tucker,” she said after a breathless moment, and Danny nodded while he returned to his human form.

“Hey, Tuck.”

“ _Hey, Sam, any luck?”_

“Yeah, I found him.”

_“Oh, great! You headed back to Fenton Works?”_

“No, we’re at my place. You guys are staying over tonight.”

“ _What? You don’t even ask me, I just am?”_

“Trust me, you want to be here Danny has something to show you.”

“ _Sam, if you’re getting excited, I don’t know if I wanna know. I’d rather not be around you two love birds late at night.”_

“What? No! Don’t be gross.”

“ _… You didn’t deny the love birds thing.”_

“No, it would appear that I didn’t.”

“ _Did something happen?”_

“Maybe.”

“ _Did… did he kiss you?”_

“Yes he did, now shut up and get over here!” Sam quickly hung up, cutting off Tucker’s laugh.

“What was that about?” Danny asked from his seat on Sam’s bed. She noticed that he was floating about an inch of the bed and raised an eyebrow. Danny blushed and dropped down, bouncing slightly.

“Sorry, it’s a habit.”

“It’s fine. And it was nothing. Just Tucker being a jerk.”

Danny accepted the explanation and waited patiently while Sam called his parents to inform them that he and Tucker would be staying with her tonight. By the time that phone call was done, which involved a lot of questions on Maddie and Jack’s part, and a lot more fabricated answers on Sam’s, Tucker had arrived.

“Sorry, Mrs. Fenton. Danny’s already asleep, so you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to talk to him,” Sam said the same time that Tucker burst into her bedroom shouting.

“You _KISSED!_ ”

Tucker!” Sam gaped.

“Sam!” Danny yelled. Sam and Danny, who had been sitting very, very close together, jumped apart. “You told him?”

“He sorta guessed,” Sam said, then glanced at the cell phone in her hand. “Sorry, Mrs. Fenton. Tucker just got here. Danny will see you tomorrow!”

She quickly hung up and tossed the phone onto her bed.

“I think they heard that,” Sam cast a fierce glare at Tucker.

“Good, then they know that they owe me twenty bucks. I’m gonna get rich tomorrow!” Tucker shouted cheerfully.

“Excuse me?” Sam’s gaze turned murderous.

“I may have bet half the student body that you guys would be dating before Halloween this year,” Tucker grinned. He practically shrieked when Sam suddenly lunged at him, and he quickly ran out the door.

“You didn’t deny it!” Danny heard Tucker shouting as he fled down the stairs with a furious Sam chasing after him.

“Danny, help!” A muffled shout came from below, and Danny assumed they were now in the basement. He chuckled and got up to follow, then a mischievous grin split his face and he phased through the floor. Sam saw him float down through the ceiling but Tucker, who had his back to Danny, was none the wiser until he suddenly found himself being lifted into the air.

Tucker shrieked again as his feet suddenly left the ground.

“Ghost attack! Sam, help! Call Danny! Get Phantom!”

“Danny, stop it, that’s not fair,” Sam huffed.

Tucker finally noticed that whatever held him captive was shaking from laughter, and the laugh sounded very familiar.

“D-Danny?” Tucker asked, craning his neck to see. He caught a glimpse of black hair before he found himself falling. “What the hell!” He yelled in surprise as he thudded into one of the plush, movie chairs in the Manson’s basement.

He looked up and a saw Danny (as Fenton) floating above him. Tucker scrambled back and fell onto the floor. “ _What the hell?!”_

Danny touched down on the floor, and glanced at a smirking Sam.

“Should I?” Danny asked, swinging out an arm at Tucker.

“Do it,” Sam nodded. Danny felt his cold core rise in his chest, and the cool, white rings formed around his waist.

“ _WHAT THE HELL?”_ Tucker crawled back until he bumped into Sam’s legs, staring wide eyed at Danny. Danny _Phantom._

“You’re really Danny? Like, you Danny, are not overshadowing our Danny, but you are just… Danny?” Tucker asked as Sam helped him to his feet.

“Yes, Tuck. It’s really me. No overshadowing, no possession. I’m just Danny,” the halfa changed back, settling comfortably in one of the black chairs.

“Dude, that is so cool! How did you tell Sam?” Tucker practically squealed the first sentence.

Danny felt the blood rush to his cheeks as he explained.

“What? So Sam gets a kiss when she finds out, and you drop me from ten feet in the air?” Tucker whined.

“You want a kiss too, Tuck?” Danny asked, and Sam snorted.

“Sorry, dude. I know we’re close, but not _that_ close. I’m fairly certain you’re already spoken for anyways,” Tucker said, looking at Sam. “But… why didn’t you tell us sooner?”

Danny winced, and looked at Sam before answering. “Like I told Sam, you guys already know this. I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“But dude, we’re your best friends! We could have helped you,” Tucker started, but Danny raised a hand to end the already familiar, and justified, rant.

“I know, Tuck. I really do, but I thought it would be better if you didn’t know.”

“Why not now?”

“There’s… there’s some bad stuff going on. There’s this bad ghost gaining power somewhere in the Zone, no one knows what exactly he’s up to yet, but he’s gathering an army. And it’s going to be dangerous. Really dangerous. Honestly, I wasn’t going to tell you guys anything, but he… he showed me something, and now I’m certain you guys will be a lot safer knowing,” Danny said, nodding his head gently as if satisfied with the explanation.

“So, if this ghost hadn’t appeared, you never would have told us?” Tucker asked, sounding hurt. And he was, and Danny knew that he was. He had every right to be, but Danny also had every right to keep his secret to himself.

“Not yet, anyways. I may have told you guys eventually. Maybe once we were out of high school and stuff.” Danny plucked at the sleeve of his shirt, which he realized he had never rolled back down after everything that happened. He stared at the scars along his arms, intently focused on them so he wouldn’t have to see his friends’ expressions.

He took note of each and every scar, and how he had gotten them. A burn here from Skulker, a gash there from Technus, a few strange, red rings which were the result of Ember’s sound wave attacks from when they were still enemies. He also had a rather heavy looking scar that Sam would hopefully never remember giving him during the Undergrowth incident. It was that scar that he was focused on now. He rubbed a thumb over it, remember how scared he was for Sam. How she had still gotten involved despite not knowing anything, either before or after. How she would be getting involved from now on, because, in his eyes, he was too weak to continue on his own.

“So… what kind of stuff can you do?” Tucker asked, dropping down in the seat beside Danny. Surprised, Danny looked up from his arms. He could still see hints of the hurt he had caused in Tucker’s eyes, but his friend was smiling, and Danny knew that he had been forgiven.

“I can do all the basic things. Flight, invisibility, intangibility. Some stuff like that, then there’s the ecto powers, which low level ghosts typically don’t have. And then there’s the duplication and ice powers, both of which you have to be pretty powerful to do,” Danny mused.

“Duplication? Please, elaborate,” Sam said, sliding onto the armrest of Danny’s chair. Danny closed his eyes and felt the strange, sharp pull that came whenever he split himself. When he opened his eyes, there was a second Danny standing beside Sam.

“Hey, guys,” the duplicate said with a shy wave.

“Whoa! That is so cool, you can clone yourself!” Tucker leaned forwards and prodded the duplicate, testing to see if it were real.

“They’re not _clones_ , they’re duplicates,” Danny hissed. He blinked when he realized exactly how much venom there was in that sentence. “Sorry, guys. I just have a bit of an issue with clones.”

Sam and Tucker nodded, knowing they wouldn’t fully understand unless Danny explained it to them. The duplicate moved back to Danny and they merged back together, his eyes flashing green as they did so.

“You know, the eye thing is kind of a giveaway,” Tucker point out.

“And yet, you still only found out because I told you,” Danny smirked. “And the eye thing only happens if I get really emotional or distressed.”

“Like back at your house?” Sam guessed. “What happened there?”

“Well, you know that big, bad ghost I was telling you about? He was kind of speaking to me. I’m supposed to meet him at Sable in three days. I guess two days now,” Danny said, glancing at the clock. It was past two.

“Why three days?” Tucker asked.

“I don’t know, ghosts are weird, with weird obsessions that tie in to basically everything they do, and they…” Danny frowned. “Three days. Tucker, what day is it today?”

“It’s Monday. No, Tuesday now. Oh! You meant the date, then it’s the twenty-fourth today, I guess,” Tucker said, eyes on his PDA.

“So… I’m meeting him on the twenty-sixth,” Danny said, his eyes widening.

“Yeah. But I don’t get why that’s important. Danny? What’s wrong?” Sam asked.

Danny had started breathing deeply, and while for others it would appear that he was breathing at a normal rate, for someone that typically breathed only around every thirty seconds or so, he was basically hyperventilating. Danny’s arms curled protectively around his shoulders as he continued to pant. They weren’t there in his human form, but Danny knew that if he went ghost, the lightning scars would appear on his back. Jagged lines reminiscent of a lightning strike would cover his back. He started to remember the pain.

Oh, god, it had hurt _so much_ and it just didn’t stop and he had been twitching and screaming and he could smell his flesh burning and there was so much pain as his skin split open and

“Danny!”

The halfa blinked, looking up at a very worried Sam and Tucker. When had they moved?

“I’m fine,” he said, but his voice was weak.

“Dude, no you’re not. What was all that about?”

“The… the twenty-sixth,” Danny explained lamely. Sam and Tucker looked puzzled for a moment, then realized dawned on both their faces.

“The day of your accident,” Sam said. “That’s when… that’s when you…”

“I died, Sammy,” Danny whispered, using the nickname that only she let him use, and not that often. “I am dead, or half-dead, or whatever. But it happened on that day.”

“Do you want to tell us?” Sam asked carefully, placing a gentle hand on Danny’s shoulder. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and shook his head.

“Not today. Our death, it’s a really sensitive subject for ghosts. We don’t exactly like to talk about it. My parents told you how we all have obsessions? We also have death stories, and those stories are usually tied to some of our biggest fears,” Danny’s voice was quiet, hardly even a whisper.

“We’re sorry, Danny. We shouldn’t have asked,” Tucker said.

“No, you guys didn’t know. Just, keep that in mind next time you talk to a ghost,” Danny said. “Or a halfa, but I guess there’s only two more of those. That’s what we’re called, the people like me. Not ghost, not human. A little bit of both, but something else entirely.”

“You said that the stories are tied to some of your biggest fears?” Tucker asked.

“Yeah. For most ghosts, it is their biggest fear. But me? Honestly, there are worse things to worry about.” Danny pulled his knees to his chest, remembering the sentence he had been writing in Latin that day in English. It felt like it had been so long ago, but Danny knew it had only been around a week since then. Sam and Tucker shared a look as Danny spoke.

What could he be more afraid of then reliving the experience of his own death? 

* * *

 

The trio had fallen asleep sometime around three, just crashing in Sam’s basement instead of going up to any of the numerous bedrooms. Or at least, Sam and Tucker fell asleep. Danny had to leave a couple times to fight more ghosts, and Sam had awoken around six that morning to see a bleeding Danny trying to stitch up his leg in her bathroom. Suffice to say, Sam was furious that Danny hadn’t woken either of them, but understood that she didn’t really have experience in that area. An hour later, Tucker had reluctantly awoken and, after Danny did a quick morning patrol, they headed to school, not looking forward to the day at all.

But apparently a lot of people were eager for them to arrive. Or, more specifically, Danny. When the got to school, a lot of people in the halls were turning and staring at the halfa, not bothering to hide their whispers.

“Please tell me you guys know what’s going on,” Danny said when they reached his locker.

“Sorry, dude. For once, I’m as clueless as you,” Tucker shrugged. Danny hung his head in resignation as he pulled grabbed his stuff from his locker. They moved on to Tucker’s, then Sam’s. Just as the Goth was closing her locker, a certain jade-eyed redhead stormed up to the group.

“Danny, what is this?” Jazz asked, shoving her phone in the trio’s face. They all leaned back so that they could actually see the small screen properly, then Sam snatched device out of Jazz’s hands.

“What the hell?” She hissed, almost a perfect imitation of Tucker’s shouts from last night. Danny leaned over her shoulder and his face blanched. Filling the screen was a picture of him during gym yesterday, with his shirt off, muscles and scars (and very strange bruise) on display for all to see. The picture was good quality, but Danny himself was a little blurred, and the one eye that could be seen from this angle appeared to be glowing a bright green.

“Oh, shit,” Danny groaned, his uncharacteristic swearing surprising all present. “At gym, yesterday, I heard the click of a camera. I knew they had taken a photo, and I was going to get rid of it later, but I totally forgot!”

“I know this website. Some senior started it up a couple years ago, and it’s sort of been passed down through friends ever since then,” Sam scrolled to the top of the page, revealing the name of the sight.

**_Casper High Hotties_ **

Tucker took one look at the name, then burst out laughing.

“Oh, man, _dude_! You are on the ultimate cheerleader sight! You know what they do on there? They post photos of the most _attractive_ people of Casper High and just… just…” Tucker couldn’t continue because he was laughing too hard at the look of horror on Danny’s face, which was no longer just because his eyes were green in the photo.

“I’ll have to set those girls straight,” Sam growled.

“So you’re gonna tell them you don’t think Danny’s hot?” Tucker asked, still snickering at Danny’s expression.

“Oh, no. But I’m going to have to give them a little incentive not to go around taking shirtless pictures of _my_ boyfriend,” Sam said, her fist curling tighter around the phone. Several freshmen girls, who had been eaves dropping close by, quickly walked away whispering amongst themselves.

“I’m just going to take that back,” Jazz said, slipping the phone from Sam’s grip, then raising an eyebrow at the apparently knew couple. “Also, since when?”

“Since last night,” Danny said.

“About time, little brother,” Jazz beamed, before looking down at the picture again. “But Danny, what are all of those scars from?”

“Okay, we went over this last night with Mom, Dad, and Lancer already! I didn’t give them to myself, okay? And it’s not really any of your business where I got them,” Danny said, frustrated.

“Danny, if you’ve been-”

“Ghost fighting,” Tucker squeaked.

Jazz’s gaze slid from Tucker, then back to Danny. “Ghost fighting?”

Both Sam and Danny elbowed the self-proclaimed techno-geek in the ribs, hard, for his slip of the tongue.

“Yes, ghost fighting.”

“But that’s dangerous, Danny!” Jazz scolded as she slipped her phone back into her pocket.

“I know, Jazz. But, I’m gonna be late for class, I have to go, okay?” Danny stormed past his sister, Sam and Tucker rushing after him.

“I had really hoped that this could have stayed secret a little while longer,” Danny said, casting a glare Tucker’s way.

“Sorry, dude. It just kinda happened. And really, I was more offering Jazz and example than an explanation,” Tucker said.

“It’s fine, Tuck. Jazz will just call home and tell my parents and, oh Clockwork, my Dad is going to be all over me about training me to fight when I could easily take him down myself. This is going to be a nightmare,” Danny groaned as they reached their classroom. Tucker, who had a different class first period today, gave Danny a sympathetic smile before rushing off.

“And then there’s that picture,” Sam said as they took their seats.

“Don’t remind me. And I’ve been so careful. A year, Sam, I’ve avoided cameras for a full year! Or at least I’ve avoided having my eyes open during the picture. But now this new ghost comes and I’ve just been so stressed, and I can hardly remember the last time I actually got to sleep when it should have only been a couple weeks ago, and then the _day_ is coming up, and tonight I have to face my parents after _last night_. This is all a mess,” Danny groaned as he dropped his head onto his desk. “I need to feed.”

“You need to what?” Sam asked.

“Oh, I didn’t tell you guys that, did I? Ghosts typically eat ecto-enhanced food from the Ghost Zone, but as an alternate, and more effective food source, they can feed off of human emotions. Particularly negative ones. I may not eat human food as often, but I need ghost food as well to supplement my powers. A few months ago, it became necessary for me to feed off emotions once in a while if I became really drained.” Danny’s voice was muffled by the crook of his elbow.

“It doesn’t hurt the humans, if that’s what you want to know,” Danny answered before Sam could ask. “I mean, it could. There was this whole thing with the school counselor. It can leave a human feeling depressed and horrible about themselves, but I don’t take enough to do that. I only take enough to sustain myself.

“Okay,” Sam nodded. “Do you need to do anything to feed?”

“Not really. I just need to sit here, undisturbed, and focus on the emotions around us,” Danny’s voice was accompanied by the bell signalling the start of class. “If I’m still fidgeting, I’m still awake, which means I’m still kin of listening, so you don’t need to worry about poking me or anything.”

Sam nodded and despite the fact that Danny couldn’t actually see her, he knew what she did. Danny kept his head down, and his knee started bouncing under his desk, as he focused on the tumult of teenage hormones, anxiety, and low self-esteem swirling in the air around him.

He stubbornly ignored the emotions he could only describe as fluffy and pink that were all directed his way.

 


	12. Two Days

“I swear, the next girl that tries to ask you out, she’s going to know exactly how painful steel-toed boots can be,” Sam growled as she glared at a passing trio of giggling sophomore.

“I personally never realized that girls _giggled_ so much,” Tucker said, waving at the girls. “But I guess that’s because we always hang out with Sam.”

Sam’s fist thudded heavily against Tucker’s shoulder, and the techo-geek yelped, rubbing the now sore spot.

“You never learn,” Danny tsked, supressing a smile.

“But I also never lie,” Tucker said as he danced away from another punch.

“Keep talking, Foley. I think your shins will wish you lied, once I’m through with you,” Sam threatened.

“Okay, okay, I’m done,” Tucker raised his hands in surrender, and quickly changed the subject. “So, Danny, what are you going to tell your parents tonight?”

Sam glared at Tucker a moment longer before accepting the change in conversation. “They did see your eyes and all. And don’t think you can play it off as a trick of the light, because there’s no way they’d believe that.”

“Unless you blamed it on the Fenton Works sign,” Tucker added.

“No, I’ve actually kind of got a story prepared already. I mean, I’ve always been really careful, but with everything that’s been happening I’ve been slipping a lot, so I decided it would be best to have a sort of ‘worst case scenario’,” Danny explained. “For… the accident, I told my parents, I told everyone, that I got a little shock, right?”

“Yeah, and your parents made you stay home for a week to rest because they were so worried,” Tucker nodded.

“Right. Well, my parents know that it involved the ghost portal, but they don’t know the whole story. I won’t tell you guys, not yet, but I could easily tell my parents that the shock was ectoplasm. I can use it to explain why I’m cold, and why my eyes were glowing. It’s just the result of the ectoplasm.”

Hardly even a lie.

“But, dude, what if your parents want to take, like, a sample?” Tucker asked with wide eyes.

“Then I’ll let them,” Danny shrugged.

“What if they discover your secret? How do you know that sample won’t reveal everything?” Sam argued. She trusted Danny, and she trusted his parents. If he told them the truth, they would accept him, but while Danny was still trying to keep his ghost half a secret from them, she would do everything she could so it would stay that way.

“Because once I realized what had happened to me, after the accident, I sort of ran a few tests with my blood,” Danny spoke quickly, cringing at his friends’ shocked expressions.

“And?” Sam prompted.

“And nothing. There just some traces of ectoplasm in my system. Unless I allow my cold core, which is basically my ghostly power source and heart, to surface, the ectoplasm remains somewhat dormant. Enough energy leaks through so that I can use some, actually most, of my powers while human, but they aren’t as strong as they would be when I go ghost,” Danny explained.

Sam and Tucker still looked a little skeptical, but accepted Danny’s reasoning. As long as it would keep his parent’s curiosity sated, everything would be fine.

“Come on, boys, we’ve got gym next,” Sam said. Before walking away, she quickly laced her fingers in Danny’s, causing the halfa to grin and happily be pulled along, much to the chagrin of any girls that had been not so subtly checking him out. 

* * *

“Have you experience any other side effects?”

“No.”

“Any out of body experiences?”

“No.”

“Any sudden bouts of pain?”

“No.”

“What about memory lapses? Sudden losses on consciousness? The desire to do evil?”

“No, no, and only to Dash’s face,” Danny said calmly. His father had a firm hold on his arm and was taking a blood sample, while his mother rattled off a continuous spiel of questions, both from a scientific standpoint, and from the fears of a worried mother.

“Why didn’t you tell us, Danny?” Maddie asked.

“I didn’t want you guys to worry. I’m fine, it was just a little shock, nothing happened,” Danny sighed. Overall, the conversation with his parents had gone fairly well. Upon arriving at Fenton Works, Sam and Tucker had wished Danny luck before going upstairs to his room, leaving him alone with his angry, and worried ghost hunting parents. Once their initial barrage of questions had died down, Danny gave them his not-quite-a-lie of an explanation, which their scientific minds greedily accepted. This, of course, brought a newer round of questions and the inevitable blood draw.

“We will determine that once this sample has been examined,” Jack said, removing the needle and holding up the now blood filled syringe. Danny wasn’t sure if his parents, with their average human eyesight, could see the flecks of green floating amongst the red. But to him it was plain as day.

Jack lumbered over to one of the computers and stuck the needle into a mesh covering, pressing the plunger and forcing the blood into the container hidden beneath.

“A full analysis will take a few hours, but it should be done some time during the meeting tonight,” Jack said.

“We’re still have a meeting?” Danny asked, a little dumbly.

“Of course, Danny-boy! We had to cancel last night’s trip to the Ghost Zone because we were looking for you. We won’t go tonight, but we’ll still have the meeting,” Jack beamed.

“Right. I’m going upstairs.” Danny slid off the table where he was perched and, once he was safely out of sight, phased up through the floor to his bedroom.

“So how’d it go?” Sam asked, not even looking up from the book she was reading.

“Pretty good, actually,” Danny said, while Tucker yelped when the halfa suddenly appeared before them. Danny dropped to the floor, crossing his legs and resting his elbows on his knees. “We’re having a Ghostketeer meeting tonight.”

“Of course we are, we have one every night,” Tucker said, recovering from his shock.

“Yeah, but Dash has been acting weird. I mean, not once today did he try to insult me or shove me into a locker. I was hoping to avoid him for as long as possible. Which I can’t exactly do if he’s going to be here in my basement.”

“Dude, you avoid him when he _is_ going to wail on you, not when he’s giving you a free pass! What’s avoiding him going to do anyways?”

“I guess nothing, really. But I think _he’s_ going to do something. And knowing Dash, it’s probably not going to be anything good.”

“So what are you going to do?” Sam marked the page in her book and looked down at Danny.

“I don’t really think there’s anything I can do, not yet anyways. You guys gonna stay until the meeting starts?”

“Of course!” Tucker grinned. “I managed to download this new game that the creators of Doom are making.”

“And by download you mean?”

“Hacked their network and pulled it from their servers of course, you should know this by now, Sam,” Danny grinned in response to Sam’s question.

“Hey, speaking of hacking, why are your ghost files on the lab computer instead of yours?” Tucker asked as he plugged his PDA into Danny’s computer.

“Because the computer in the lab automatically encrypts any data stored on it and has numerous top notch firewalls to prevent someone breaking in and stealing my parents work. Of course, I guess they didn’t consider Foley brand hacking,” Danny chuckled.

“Of course they didn’t, no one ever does,” Tucker grinned. 

* * *

_“And I, Technus, master of all technology, will no longer be held by your dastardly device, as it is now in my control!” The Fenton Thermos was ripped from Danny Phantom’s hands and soared towards the massive mechanical body Technus had formed moments ago. It fit itself into the open space in one of Technus’ outstretched palms._

_“Now let’s see how_ you _like it!” As the thermos powered up, the camera shook and was knocked over by Phantom as he dodged the Thermos’ bright beam._

“So did he get you?” Sam asked as the screen went black.

“Nope. I have yet to be privileged with the opportunity to see the inside of the Thermos,” Danny said. He, Sam, and Tucker were sitting away from the rest of the Ghostketeers, who were avidly cheering for Danny Phantom as the recording played.

Tonight, they were studying the fighting habits of ghosts by watching every single video his parents could get their hands on. There were short clips from traffic cameras, commentated scenes from news broadcasts, entire fights caught by mall cameras, and the occasional very shaky video taken by Maddie and Jack themselves. Until now, Danny hadn’t realized just how much of his fights were documented. He made a personal note to watch out for hidden cameras in the future.

The A-listers, like Team Phantom, had separated themselves from the group, Star among their ranks under the guise of a potential new Ghostketeer. They avidly watched any fights involving Danny Phantom, cheering with everyone else, but generally ignored any other clips in favour of discussing their plan. Dash had informed them all of his discovery.

Their hero, Danny Phantom, had made an arrangement with one Danny Fenton. Phantom would reside in Fenton’s body while he wasn’t fighting, so he could stay close-by if one of his enemies did appear, and Fenton… well, they hadn’t figured out what Fenton was getting out of the deal. But it must have been something. At the start of the meeting, they had grabbed one of the Fenton’s more harmless weapons, which seemed as if it was designed for this very situation.

Honestly, that’s because it was. The Fenton Forcer was designed to expel any spirits inhabiting a body, to be used when someone was being overshadowed. It stood to reason that it would work in this case as well. And the A-listers, desperate to meet their hero, didn’t pause to think about the fact that, if Dash was right, and they forced Phantom out of Fenton’s body, he might actually get mad at them.

The final pair to be separated from the group, was Maddie and Jack. They hovered by their computer, anxiously awaiting the results from their son’s blood. The occasional beep coming from the computer was the only clue they had to the fact that the analyzation was, in fact, still occurring. When it was done, it would make a different sound. Not a beep, but a rapid clicking, sort of like—sort of like that.

Maddie stopped in the middle of her pacing and spun around to face the computer, diving for the chair before it while Jack hovered over her shoulder. The sudden movement turned a few curious heads, but the videos of ghost fighting proved more interesting.

Maddie’s eyes scanned the images and print, taking in first the expected information. Blood type, white cell count, and the ectoplasm they had been informed about. But there was more than just “trace amounts” as Danny had said.

“Jack, look at this,” Maddie said, eyes scouring the screen.

“Rapid cell death,” Jack answered. They both glanced back at Danny before their eyes returned to the screen.

“It must be the ectoplasm.” Maddie took what little blood remained untouched after the analysis and put it under a microscope. “Jack, can you pass me the new serum?”

Maddie held out her hand as Jack pulled a vial of red liquid, the same red liquid Danny had seen him working with during one of their previous meetings, and the same red liquid used in their newest blaster. With her eye up to the microscope, Maddie poured a few drops onto Danny’s blood and informed her husband of the results. They shared a solemn nod as Jack reached the newest addition to the Fenton arsenal.

The remainder of the meeting was spent under a blanket of undetected tension. The A-listers continued to whisper amongst themselves, excited about meeting their hero. Maddie and Jack stayed by the computer, casting a wary glance at the son they believed to be dying every couple of minutes. Danny listened idly to Sam and Tucker’s chatter, the only aware of the emotions hanging in the air. He had seen his parents reading his results, but they hadn’t made a big display about anything. He was still keeping an eye out for Dash, but he, too, had yet to do something big.

The final video played, and ended with Danny Phantom receiving a rather nasty hit to the head. They were unable to watch the rest of the fight, because at that point Danny had been knocked back and took out the camera. Maddie turned off the projector and turned to the Ghostketeers.

“Alright, everyone. I hope you took special note of how ghosts fight, because starting tomorrow we’ll be doing evening patrols so that we can take care of those spooks ourselves,” Maddie grinned and clapped her hands together. Most of the Ghostketeers rose from their seats and shuffled out of the lab and off to their own homes. The A-listers moved slowly, dragging behind the rest of the group, then hiding out on the stairs to wait for the opportune moment. Lancer was gathering his things together and found himself hovering as Maddie and Jack approached their son.

“Danny, we got the results of your blood test,” Maddie said.

“See, and there was just a bit of ectoplasm, like I told you there would be,” Danny said with a reassuring smile, while Lancer’s eyes widened at his casual tone. Ectoplasm in the blood didn’t sound good, certainly it wasn’t something to smile about.

“Yes, Danny-boy, about that,” Jack started, then proceeded to explain what they had found.

Dash peered around the corner of the stairs. The adults all had their backs to the jock, and even though Fenton was facing him, he looked too distracted by his parents to notice the A-listers slide out of their hiding spot.

“Okay, guys, ready?” Dash asked, glancing around at his group of friends. They all nodded eagerly, and Dash slipped the Fenton Forcer out of his pocket and into his palm. It was small and compact, like the lipstick blaster, but rectangular instead of cylindrical. Confident in how much his aim had improved over the previous sessions, he raised his hand and thumbed the trigger as Fenton raised his voice.

“What? No! It’s fine, you don’t need to do that!” Danny raised his hands in a placating gesture as his dad raised the new gun that he had been so eager to find the purpose of. Danny decided that this was not how he wanted to find out.

Then several things happened very quickly.

The ghost alarm in the lab started to go off as a loud thud resounded from inside the portal. Dash and Jack, both startle by the sudden sound, fired at the same time. Danny’s eyes widened as he felt the force of the blows against his chest, and he flew backwards into the lab wall as Sam and Tucker shouted his name and Lancer, who had been watching, cried out “ _Lord of the Flies!_ ”

Another thump came from the portal as Danny’s mind started to register the pain. It was agony. He had heard several of his ribs crack on impact, and he took short, shallow breaths, because anything more and it would start to feel like he had been stabbed in the chest. It felt as if his blood was on fire, burning him from the inside out, and Danny let out one, bone chilling scream, dangerously close to his wail, that caused the whole lab to shake.

Before his eyes slid shut, he saw the door to the portal burst open and the black skeleton ghosts came pouring out.

**Two days, Phantom.**

 


	13. At Dora's Castle

Danny didn’t want to open his eyes. The all-encompassing darkness was peaceful and painless. If he opened his eyes, it wouldn’t be anymore. There would be pain. Lots and lots of pain. He actually found himself wondering which had heart more, dying, or the two shots he had taken to the chest. His death had been excruciating, but fairly short. This, this was agony. Waves of pain crashing down on him, his own slow heartbeat too loud in his ringing ears, every thump feeling like a punch to the chest. To his aching, bruised, and broken chest. His clothes felt heavy, his whole body felt heavy.

He could hear muffled noises, a constant shouting that grated on his brain, and he felt the desire to hit whatever was making the annoying sound. There were other sounds, crashes, loud bangs, yells. He could feel everything around him moving through the quaking of the ground. Knew every step the people around him were taking, knew exactly what had just fallen to the floor a few feet from him. How large it was, it’s shape. He knew the footsteps that were always so surprisingly light despite being made in heavy boots. It was those footsteps that he was focusing on. The way they danced about, running and jumping, then standing firm, stopping right beside Danny.

He wasn’t sure how he knew all this, but at the moment, he didn’t exactly care. Everything hurt too much, everything was too loud. And then there was the scream. It stabbed at him, like a bullet to the brain, sharp and quick. And the moment he heard it, Danny’s brilliant green eyes opened and he shot up to a sitting position, surprising Tucker, who had been dragging Danny from the fight and trying to rouse him.

That had been the annoying shouting. Tucker calling his name. Danny was still a little tempted to punch him, but there were more pressing matters.

Ignoring his body screaming in protest, pushing aside all the pain that he was feeling, Danny jumped to his feet and his eyes scoured the lab. There weren’t as many skeletal ghosts as there had been when he first lost consciousness. In fact, it looked like they were retreating. Panic settled in as Danny realized something was missing from the lab. Something, _someone_ , important.

Without a single thought for himself, or the serious wounds that had just been inflicted upon him, Danny sprinted towards the portal as she disappeared inside it, held firmly by several bony, black hands. Tucker called after Danny, but the halfa didn’t pay any attention. He could think of Sam. Sam, who he had only recently sort of confessed to. Sam, who hadn’t rejected him when he showed who he really was. Sam, being taken away by those ghosts. Sam, who had seen—

Danny refused to think on it anymore, but the image that his new ghostly foe had showed him was stuck in his brain, and it drove him forwards. He dove inside the portal, one hand to his bleeding chest, and shot off like an arrow as soon as he was through. He didn’t know how, but Danny was sure that he only minutes behind the skeletons. He could catch them. He _had_ to catch them.

If he didn’t, then… then…

“No!” Danny shouted as the black spots once again began to fill his vision. He forced them away and continued to fly as fast as he could, but he was slowing down, no matter how much speed he poured on, he didn’t have enough energy for it. Danny pulled his hand away from his chest to see it covered in ectoplasm and blood.

When had he changed? He hadn’t even remembered doing that. Had his parents seen it?

Danny’s whole body shuddered, and with a bright flash of light he was no longer Phantom, but Fenton, and he was falling, leaving a trail of red in his wake. A trail that had started the moment he entered the Ghost Zone, a trail that the frantic Ghostketeers were following.

A trail that led a pretty young ghost with light hair, green skin, and blue dress, to the falling halfa, just in time to catch him on her now scaly back before he hit the ground. 

* * *

“Let me go,” Sam shouted the one thing that she could think of as her captors dragged her away. It was also what she laughed at damsels in distress for saying when they were put in a very similar situation to hers. After all, someone kidnapping you isn’t going to let you go because you asked. Even nicely.

She struggled against the strong grip of the skeletons, twisting and pulling. Her arms were occupied, but she threw as many kicks as she could, grinning proudly when a few skeletons were scattered to pieces by the sudden force. Her grin was wiped from her face as the bones reformed and they held her legs as well. Sam growled and resumed her struggle, but it was to no avail, and she found her attempts at freedom waning. It would be better to save her strength.

The skeletons started to slow down, descending to a large floating island on which a grand, black gothic castle sat. They entered the large, silver doors, and she was thrown unceremoniously onto the black and white tiles. Sam spat a few choice words in the skeletons’ direction, before facing forward. At the top of a short set of stairs was an ornate silver stone, and a dark figure was standing behind it.

**Samantha Manson.**

The voice reverberated through her head, causing Sam to wince, but the pain present during Danny’s conversation with this particular spook was absent.

“It’s just Sam,” the Goth said, crossing her arms over her chest. She may not be in an enjoyable situation, but there was no way Sam was going to cower like the obedient little captive she was expected to be.

**Sam, then.**

The figure disappeared, then suddenly Sam felt a hand around her throat as it reappeared in front of her and raised her off the ground.

**You will tell me all there is to know about Danny Phantom.**

“Too bad, I’m pretty sure you know more than I do,” Sam wheezed, clawing at the large hand around her throat. The ghost huffed, and threw her down to the ground again, this time more roughly. Her head bounced painfully against the tiles and she let out a quick cry, bringing a hand to her head.

 **Then it won’t be necessary to keep you alive.**  

* * *

 

Danny once again found himself reluctant to open his eyes. But this darkness wasn’t as nice as the last. He could feel the pain, despite being far from waking. It drowned out anything that he might have heard. He wondered, in fact, if it were possible for him to have felt worse than last time. And now, there was no scream to force him awake. But the memory of the scream was enough, and the events that had soon followed, was enough. Danny slowly opened his eyes, blinking as they adjusted to the flickering light of the torches. He moved to sit up, but found that he was in too much pain to do so. Even blinking hurt. But nowhere hurt more than deep inside his chest.

Just as before, every heartbeat brought on a fresh beat of pain. He groaned, and focused his ice powers on his chest. Numb the area, numb the pain.

“Sir Phantom!”

Danny strained to turn his head, and finally noticed the room that he was in. Stone walls, colourful wall hangings depicting dragons, and torches along the walls. Beside his bed was Princess Dorathea, hands clasped in worry.

“You have gas lamps,” Danny croaked, his eyes flicking to a spot above the heavy wooden door.

“Yes, Sir Phantom. Those books you gave us were most helpful. We have advanced much since the time of Aragon’s rule. But I’m afraid we are not advanced enough for your treatment,” Dora said as she floated to the other side of the bed.

“Treatment?” Danny muttered. With his advanced healing, he shouldn’t need any sort of treatment. Just a good night’s sleep.

“I found you last night. You have been asleep for many hours.” Dora raised a mirror up above Danny so that he could look at himself.

And he looked like hell.

Danny was pale, _really_ pale. Sweat dotted his forehead, and his eyes were their bright green. He raised a hand in front of his face, checking for the telltale glow of his ghost eyes, but it was absent. So the green eyes was only because of his reflection. Slowly, almost painfully, he dragged his eyes away from his face to focus on his exposed chest. A thick layer of bandages was wrapped around his chest, but along the edges he could see dark purple bruising, and the bandage was spotted with flecks of red and green, some of it fresh, and some of it already dried. Danny phased a hand through his chest and gently felt around his ribs. If he understood Dora correctly, he had been asleep for at least eight hours, so whatever ribs had been broken or fractured were now healed. That was good, at least.

“I need Frostbite, don’t I?” Danny said, once again taking in his complexion.

“I sent one of my servants out to him when you arrived. They should be returning within the hour. Do you wish for your servants to go with you?” Dora asked, pulling the mirror away.

“My servants? I don’t have any servants.”

“A small group of people that followed you here into the Ghost Zone? They arrived some hours after I brought you here, and have been causing quite the stir, if I may say. Are they not your servants?”

 _Hours?_ Danny thought. _I had only been flying for minutes before I passed out, and in the Speeder they would have caught up quickly. How_ fast _was I_ going _?_

“… No, they’re not my servants. It depends on who’s there, but I’m guessing my parents, my sister, and my best friend. Their might be others, but they’re not really important,” Danny shrugged.

“Oh, so the others are your subjects then?”

Danny shrugged again. _Close enough._

“They have been asking about you, but I thought it best if they didn’t see you until you woke up. Would you like for them to come in?” Dora asked.

“I’ll go to them,” Danny said. He sat up, groaning profusely and clutching his chest as he did.

“That may not be the best of ideas, Sir Phantom. You have received grievous injuries,” Dora protested, gently pressing her hands to Danny’s chest in the hopes of forcing him back down.

“I’ll be fine. They’ll just make a big deal of it if they see me lying down like that.” Danny waved Dora’s hands off and stood shakily. The world spun as he rose to his feet, and he quickly slammed a hand down on the bed to steady himself. Dora reached out again, but another beat her too it. Danny felt warm hands on his shoulder and was roughly pulled to lean against someone just a little shorter than him.

“Hey, Dipstick! If you die, who the hell am I supposed to show my new songs to?” Ember Mclain asked with a scowl.

“Hi, Ember. And you always have Skulker,” Danny mumbled.

“Yeah, whatever. He’s been acting weird. And speaking of weird, what’s with that bruise?”

Danny didn’t need to look to know she was referring to the one that her boyfriend had given him.

“A present from the Ghost Zone’s worst hunter,” Danny explained, and Ember laugh sharply.

“No way, Baby Pop. I know he hasn’t attacked you in a week, at least, there’s no way you’d still have a bruise.”

Danny paused, and realized that Ember was right, then mentally smacked himself for not thinking about it before. He’d have to ask Frostbite why it hadn’t healed yet.

“Why are you helping me?” Danny asked suddenly, as Ember let him lean heavily on her shoulder so he could remain standing.

“Can’t I just help out a good friend?” Ember asked innocently, nudging Danny forwards. He stumbled a little, but caught himself, and they made their way out into the hall.

“Because you don’t just help out,” Danny said. “Friend or not.”

“I guess you caught me. Since I’m helping you, now you owe me a favour,” Ember grinned. “And it’s always good to have a man of power in your debt.”

“I don’t have power yet,” Danny muttered, but didn’t deny that he would grant Ember a favour he did. This made the former rock star grin, and she almost patiently helped Danny hobble down the halls. They exchanged friendly batter, laced with insults and teasing, until they could here shouting.

Danny instantly recognized the deep, and perpetually booming voice.

“I’m not going to trust a bunch of ghosts to take care of my son! If you don’t take me to where he is, I’ll start shooting!”

“You yell them, Jack! But honey, it might be better if _I_ do the shooting.

“ _Pride and Prejudice_ people… and ghosts, everyone just needs to calm down.”

“Mrs. Fenton, don’t attack them! We won’t get to see Danny if you do that. They could throw you in jail!”

“That’s actually Walker’s job,” Danny said. He was leaning against the open door frame and watching the spectacle before him with a raised eyebrows. A few of Dora’s subjects were huddled around the door, trying to block the Ghostketeers from leaving. Maddie and Jack were reaching for the button on their jumpsuits that would deploy their hidden weapons, while Tucker stood in front of everyone, arms out in an attempt to hold them back.

“Danny!” Tucker shouted. He ran around the ghosts, and stopped just shy of hugging Danny. They were guys, after all. Hugging in front of the girls wouldn’t be cool. He instead opted to gibe Danny a pat on the shoulder, and the moment his hand made contact, the halfa’s eyes widened and he gasped in pain. Tucker jumped back quickly, clutching his hand.

“Danny, sweetie, are you alright?” Maddie asked, briskly stepping forwards. Danny glared over his mother’s shoulder at Jack and Dash.

“Not exactly,” he growled.

“Okay! Looks like I’m done here, I guess I’ll just go home to my estranged boyfriend’s island,” Ember said as she moved back. Danny’s arm shot out, and he quickly grabbed the strapped of Ember’s guitar, wincing as he did so.

 _Oh, that hurt so much…_ Danny groaned.

“You aren’t going anywhere, McLame, not if you want that favour. A stroll through the halls will barely warrant you a new guitar pick,” Danny tilted his head back and glanced at Ember from the corner of his eye.

“Dipstick,” Ember spat, but with a hint of good nature.

“Narcissist,” Danny retorted in a similar tone.

“Hero-complex.”

“Celebrity-complex.”

“Sparky.”

“Oh! Now that’s just mean,” Danny gasped in feigned hurt, pressing a hand to his chest, which resulted in his gasp turning to a groan.

“You’re a ghost?” Ember and Danny both whipped their heads around, eyes settling on Dash. For a moment, Danny thought that the jock was referring to him.

“’Course I am. How else could I accomplish my mindless teenage rebellion?” Ember grinned innocently, although she cast a quick glare at the adults.

“Danny, honey, what did you mean by not exactly?” Maddie asked, bringing everyone’s attention back to the halfa’s wounds. Danny touched his chest again, this time more gently, and grimaced.

“I… uh… sort of need to get to Frostbite,” Danny let his arm drop and leaned even more heavily against the door. It was only now that everyone seemed to notice the blood dotting the bandages on his chest, and how heavily he was panting. In fact, it seemed to be getting slowly harder for him to breath. He pressed a hand to his head and slid down, but quickly caught himself before he dropped to the floor.

“You okay, Dipstick?” Ember asked.

“I think Dora was right,” Danny rasped, slipping down a little lower. “I shouldn’t have gotten up.”

As Danny dropped, Tucker quickly lunged forwards and caught him. His parents and Lancer rushed forwards.

“Hey Dora, get in here!” Ember shouted down the hall.

Dora came floating into the room, and glared at Ember. “I will have you know, Ms. McLain, that the only person I allow to call me Dora is Sir Ph-” Dora looked quickly at the humans in the room, then back to Ember. “-enton. All others must call me Princess Dorathea.”

“Yeah, whatever, but Dipstick’s in serious pain,” Ember said, pointing to the panting halfa. He was leaning heavily against Tucker, his head sagging down against his slightly shorter friend’s shoulder.

“Sir Fenton! I warned you not to move about,” Dora scolded, reaching out to him.

“Sorry, Dora. You know I’ve got a thing for rules,” Danny grinned weakly.

“What are you doing, ghost? Get away from my son, don’t touch him!” Maddie shouted as Dora laid a hand on Danny’s forehead. With an impressive amount of patience, Dora waited a moment before pulling her hand back, and turning to face the angry mother.

“You will not speak to me, a princess, in that manner. And I will touch my brother whenever I please,” Dora said, deathly calm. Maddie’s eyes widened and Dora’s choice of words, and Danny broke the electrified silence.

“That… sounds kind of gross, you know that, Dora?”

Tucker quickly slapped a hand to his mouth to try and withhold the snort of laughter that followed Danny’s comment.

“It was simply a proclamation of sisterly love,” Dora sniffed, but the corners of her mouth curled up in a smile. “Ember, if you would be so kind as to assist Danny’s friend in supporting him, my servants have returned from the Far Frozen with one of Frostbite’s delegates, and it is of utmost importance that Sir Fenton brought to their care as soon as possible.”

Ember grumbled, but listed to Dora as she ducked under Danny’s other arm. She and Tucker started to follow Dora through the halls, while the others stood stunned as they left. The whole exchange had been… strange. A ghost had called Danny his sister, and it sounded like she obviously respected him. Not to mention, he knew Ember McLain? She was friends with _Danny Fenton_ of all people? And Danny’s injuries! They had looked so severe, but until the end of the conversation, he had seemed relatively fine.

The A-listers, who had never felt guilty before in their lives (minus maybe Kwan, but he pretended he didn’t) wondered if the wounds had been their fault.

Mr. Lancer couldn’t believe that his worst student got along so well with ghosts, and when factoring in the young boy’s scars and the glowing green eyes he swore that he saw, Danny Fenton had just become a mystery to him.

Jack, who believed that Danny’s wounds had been inflicted by the skeleton ghosts, and not his own shooting, was proud of Danny for having snuck inside the ghosts ranks. It would be so much easier to eliminate them that way.

And Maddie? She was furious and worried. Worried for her son’s well-being, she understood what had caused his injuries, but didn’t understand how. The serum should have been attacking the ectoplasm in his blood, making him feel better, not worse. She was furious at how casually he interacted with ghosts. For years the Fenton’s had been drilling it into their children’s brains that ghosts were evil abominations that could never be trusted. They were blobs of malevolent, ectoplasmic residue, bearing just enough of an imprint of their human selves to maintain a shape similar to what they had been. Nothing else. Certainly not something you would call a _sister_.

With nothing else to do, they followed.


	14. Danny in the Carriage

A heavy silence had settled over the group the moment they stepped into the carriage. The delegate from the Far Frozen that Dora mentioned had been Snowstorm, and the large yeti had immediately started fussing over Danny like a worried mother when she saw the state that he was in, and carried him bridal style (much to his protest) into the large carriage. Inside, there were two long benches covered in plush purple cushions, a thick blue carpet covered the floor. On one bench sat the ghosts, and on the other was the humans. Danny, who didn’t quite classify himself as either, found the division humorous and opted to sit on the floor in between the two groups.

This drew a long bought of laughter from Ember and Tucker, and a stifled laugh from Dora, while the Ghostketeers watched in confusion, oblivious to Danny’s in between status. It had been silent since the laughter faded.

Danny, personally, didn’t mind. It gave him time to feed and regain some of his energy. He sat with his legs crossed, arms draped across his knees, and hunched over with his head hanging down. His hair fell over his face, preventing anyone from seeing the light glow in his eyes after they glazed over. While picking at the emotions hanging in the air, Danny decided he should at least try and get the humans and ghosts talking to each other. Not that the ghosts wouldn’t do it anyways, but so far the humans had rejected any opportunity for conversation to arise.

“So… why not the Speeder?” Danny asked, startling several people. They had assumed he was sleeping.

“It crashed when we are flying over Princess Dorathea’s castle,” Tucker explained. He received an approving smile from Dora when he used her proper name.

“I thought that was fixed the last time I was here…”

“It was, Daniel,” now that her servant weren’t around, Dora had allowed herself to relax a little. “But it would seem that it wasn’t entirely indefinite. Small electronic objects, like the ones that you have brought for me, still work, but anything larger, like your Speeder, and fails just the same as it did the first time.”

“Oh. That kind of sucks,” Danny mumbled.

“It more than sucks, Danny-boy! I spent months working on that Speeder, and now I’ll have to build it again,” Jack said.

“Well, about that. As Dora said, that’s kind of happened before. It only took me a few days to fix it, and you never even noticed it had been wrecked. I could do it again,” Danny replied. He could just imagine the shocked look on his father’s face.

“Fen _ton_? No way, you’re not smart enough to do that! I bet you got one of your ghost friends to do it for you,” Dash scoffed.

“Hey, Dweeb, what did you just say about Danny?” Ember asked, her voice laced with venom.

“I’m not a Dweeb! Fenton’s the dweeb-” Dash’s insult was cut off as Ember suddenly lunged forwards, the neck of her guitar held up to Dash’s throat like the blade of a sword. Maddie and Jack reacted instantly, jumping for the ghost while activating the weapons on their jumpsuits, while Paulina shrieked and scrambled away, clutching Star. Dash gulped and glanced at Kwan for help, but before anything could happen, Danny interfered.

“STOP!” He shouted, his voice commanding and bearing a slight echo, and everyone couldn’t help but comply. Sitting calmly in their seats, Snowstorm and Dora were smiling, and they both whispered something that sounded oddly like “all hail Phantom.”

“Ember, but down Dash, his brain is damaged enough after taking all those hits in football.”

The rock star glared at Dash, but slowly pulled her guitar away and dropped back down beside Dora.

“Did you just call me-” Dash was once again cut off, but this time by Danny. The halfa, who had been standing on the other side of the carriage, was suddenly in front of him, the jock’s shirt balled tightly in his fist. Danny was standing at his full height, which turned out to be taller than Dash, and he leaned down so that his eyes bored into Dash’s.

“Don’t even think about it, Baxter. I am in a _lot_ of pain right now, and would rather not have to deal with your sorry ass! You can throw your punches, but don’t believe for a second that I’m in the mood right now to pretend to be the defenceless little nerd you all take me for. You finish that sentence, and I swear to Clockwork you’ll find yourself on the wrong end of an ectoblast.” Danny let go of Dash and the jock fell back onto the bench. He hadn’t even realized that Danny had been lifting him higher.

“Same thing goes for you three,” Danny’s head swivelled to face the other A-listers, who nodded meekly.

“And you two!” He spun around to face his parents, one hand lashing out to rip one of the compact blasters off his father’s shoulder. “These ghosts happen to be my friends. _Mine_. And I don’t take kindly to people harming what it _mine_. Blood relation or no.”

“Danny?”

“What?” Danny snapped, turning his head to glare at Ember.

“Your obsession is showing,” Ember snickered. Danny’s gaze softened, and he unclenched his fists, willing his eyes to turn back to blue. He looked at the A-listers, who actually appeared to be _afraid_ of him. He had to admit, it was a little nice.

“Sorry,” Danny mumbled, before once again sitting on the floor. He leaned against the wall of the carriage, taking long, deep breaths to ease the ache in his chest. It didn’t work, of course. He hadn’t been lying to Dash when he said he was in a lot of pain. Everything still sort of felt the same as it did when he woke up. His heart beat was too heavy and loud, his head was pounding, and it took every bit of strength he had to move his limbs. That short outburst had wasted all the energy Danny had gather over the last half hour, so he settled back into position and once again tackled the emotions in the air.

Luckily, he was not needed this time to keep up the conversation.

“Sparky?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“I was just wondering why you called him that.”

“You’re his friend, right?”

“Best friend.”

“Okay. So, does that mean that you… you know… _know_.”

“Oh. Oh, yeah! Yeah, I do. Not _everything_ though.”

“Huh. And he said no one knew.”

“No one did. Hardly anyone does. Just me and Sam.”

“Sam and I, Mr. Foley.”

“You said you don’t know everything about Sparky?”

“No. We don’t know how it happened.”

“That’s why.”

“What’s why?”

“That’s why I call him Sparky. I’m sure the dipstick won’t mind me telling you that much. Do you, dipstick?”

“Not at all,” Danny muttered.

“What about that thing, on your back. Can I tell him about that?”

“No. No you can’t.” Danny tilted his head up to give Ember a quick glare, then went back to feeding.

“Okay, okay. No need for the ‘scary eyes’ as Plasmius puts it. They aren’t that scary.”

Danny shook his head, but didn’t reply. After a heart beat (one of Danny’s slow, painful ones) the conversation continued.

“Tucker, what is it that you’re talking about?”

“Hm, what?”

“You, and this… ghost. About Danny, what are you talking about?”

“Mrs. Fenton, it’s not really my place to tell.”

“Tucker.”

“It really isn’t. It’s Danny’s secret.”

“Oh, come on, geek boy, just tell us. We have to be here in this stupid carriage anyways.”

“You, Paulina Sanchez, want to talk about him, Danny Fenton? You?”

“There’s nothing else to do! We’re stuck in here, and we haven’t seen the ghost boy at all-” Cue a snort from Ember. “-and we can’t go home yet, since _he_ needs to be taken care of.”

“Yeah, Foley. We’re in this mess because of Fen _ton_. We should get to know stuff.”

“Actually, we aren’t in this _mess_ because of Danny. We’re in it because of _you_. And you, Mr. Fenton.”

“How is it our fault, _Bad Luck Tuck_?”

“Because you shot him! With guns! Sure, you punch him all the time, but Danny can take that. But a gun? And you’re his dad! Why did you guys shoot him?”

“You mean the Great One was injured by his own blood, and subjects?”

“Yes! And I want to know why? You shot my best friend, your son. Why?”

“The ectoplasm, of course! We tested Danny-o’s blood, and found traces of it in his system.”

“He told you that he would. It was because of the accident! It wasn’t doing anything!”

“Actually, boy-o, that’s where you’re wrong.”

“There was massive cell death, Tucker. The ectoplasm is _killing_ him.”

Danny felt all eyes turn to him, but didn’t look up or respond. He simply continued to take in their emotions. He may not have liked the turn the conversation was taking, but it made for a great mix of negative emotions, and he was slowly regaining energy.

“So you shoot him? End it faster?”

“The BB-Blaster was designed to target and eliminate ectoplasm, using a serum made from the petals of a flower harmful to ghosts. We tested it on his blood, and it attacked the ectoplasm while leaving the rest of it unharmed.”

“You know, that sort of explains gym class.”

“Ooh, you mean when Danny had to take his shirt off? I never knew he was so muscular, like the ghost boy! Right, Star?”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“No, not _that._ For the fitness testing, I’m his partner. When we had to calculate heart rate before, and even after the activity, Fenton’s was-”

“Okay, Dash, that’s enough for now,” Danny had turned his head slowly to look at the jock, and was watching him with unblinking eyes right now. His voice was low and even, but Dash heard the hidden threat. He immediately snapped his mouth shut, but fumed at being cut off for the third time. By Fenton no less!

“What was that about your heart rate, Danny?” Maddie asked.

“It’s nothing.” Danny’s eyes narrowed at Dash, whose eyes had flitted over to Maddie, before returning to Danny’s.

“Dash, what was it you were saying?” Maddie’s voice was sweet and motherly, and Dash opened his mouth to speak. He paused for a moment, looking at Danny, then steeled his resolve. He didn’t have to stop talking because Fenturd told him to. Dash bet that he didn’t even know how to use those muscles of his. So, completely forgetting the momentary fear he had felt when Danny was yelling at him, Dash continued.

“His heart rate was low. _Extremely_ low. Like, thirty beats per minute low,” Dash finished, giving Danny a triumphant look.

“Danny, is he telling the truth?” Jack asked.

“Of course he isn’t! That’s physically impossible. I’d be dead if that were true, wouldn’t I?” Danny shouted, silencing Ember and Tucker’s chuckle with a sharp look.

“Of course it’s not possible, sweetie. Then you wouldn’t mind us checking your pulse?” Maddie said, standing from her seat.

“Mom, it’s fine. You’re a scientist, you _know_ I wouldn’t be alive right now if my heart were beating that slowly. Even if I were, I certainly wouldn’t be conscious, or moving around,” Danny reasoned. He was getting tired again. Even _talking_ hurt.

“And that’s exactly why it shouldn’t be a problem for me to check. Besides, you’ve been seriously injured, sweetie. We need to check your vitals.”

“My vitals are fine. My heart’s beating, though Clockwork knows for all the pain it’s causing I wish it wasn’t. Sure, it feels like my lungs are on fire, but I’m still breathing. And last I checked, I wasn’t… I wasn’t…” Danny voices trailed off, and he found his eyes wandering down to his hand, which we was holding against his chest for emphasis. It came away bloody.

“Oh, great,” Danny muttered. He raised it to his face, not bothering to wipe away the blood first, and pressed the back of his hand against his forehead.

“Dude, besides the obvious issue,” Tucker said, motioning to Danny’s chest. “You okay?”

“I’m warm,” Danny murmured.

“Duh, it’s so stuffy in here, how can you not be?” Paulina complained, fanning her face with a well-manicured hand.

“No, not warm like that. Like, I’m your temperature,” Danny continued, his voice quiet.

“Great one?” Snowstorm asked.

Danny felt his cheeks flush, and noticed that he was sweating. “Hey, Snowy. How bad is it when someone with a cold core starts to feel warm?”

“Very bad,” Snowstorm said gravely.

“Oh, that’s nice to hear,” Danny panted, before he started shaking. He fell forwards onto his hands and started coughing. Flecks of red darted the pale blue carpet. Danny groaned, and dropped further, but caught himself just before his chest hit the floor. Using the last of his strength, he pushed himself onto his back and mentally scolded himself for passing out for the third time in the last twenty-four hours.


	15. Maddie, Jack, and Lancer in the Carriage

As soon as Danny passed fell, Maddie leaped forwards to catch him. He caught himself before she could, and she knelt down beside him as he passed out. Without missing a beat, Maddie pressed her hand to Danny’s forehead and felt that it was… normal. He didn’t feel hot at all, maybe a little bit warm, but in comparison to how cold his skin had been before, he was now the right temperature. She grabbed his arm and pressed her fingers against his vein, feeling for his pulse.

At first, Maddie didn’t feel it and she panicked. She tried his other wrist, then along his neck, before she finally was able to notice the soft beating. Soft and slow.

“Tucker, may I see your PDA?” Maddie asked, holding her hand back towards her son’s best friend. Tucker gulped, knowing what she was intending to do, but complied. Maddie flicked through the apps until she found his timer, and started counting out Danny’s heartbeat.

Her eyes widened when the minute ended. “…Thirty-two…”

“Told you,” Dash muttered.

Maddie turned off the PDA, then held the screen up close to Danny’s mouth. It took a painfully long amount of time for his breath to fog up the screen. She pressed a gentle hand to his chest, and counted out the time between breaths. About fifteen seconds. She put down the PDA with a surprising amount of care, then focused on Danny’s bandages. They were no longer just speckled and green, but covered in large splotches. Moving quickly, Maddie proceeded to unwrap the dirty bandages, wincing as they pulled on his wound. She tossed them onto the carpet and turned to Jack.

“Water,” she said simply, and her husband passed her a canteen they had filled before following Danny into the Ghost Zone. She poured the water on Danny’s chest, dabbing at it with her sleeve for lack of anything else to use, and got a good look at his wound. The skin looked flayed almost, thin strips clinging together across a burn larger than her splayed hand. Around it, the skin was black, and in the middle it was tender and pinkish red. A third-degree burn.

Then Maddie noticed something odd. There was a thin layer of liquid over the wound, hardly noticeable, but since Danny was lying flat on his back, it had gathered in the wound. It was a faint red, and seemed to bubble slightly along the edge of the wound, where at the tips of the black skin, it looked almost ectoplasmic green. The BB serum was eating away at the ectoplasm, which almost looked like it was trying to _heal_ Danny. And as it ate at the ectoplasm, it ate Danny as well.

“Tucker, what is Danny’s secret?” Maddie asked sternly. She ripped off a portion of her already bloody sleeve and gently laid it across the wound, allowing it to absorb what little of the serum had bubbled to the surface of Danny’s skin, before rewrapping his chest with some assistance from Jack.

“Really, Mrs. F, I shouldn’t tell you,” Tucker said, but Maddie could tell how much he wanted to.

“Yes, you should. The serum that would rid Danny of the ectoplasm in his blood? It’s attacking him as well,” Maddie said, gently laying Danny back down the floor.

Tucker’s eyes widened behind his glances. “I.. I-uh…”

“Tucker, please, what is his secret?” Maddie pleaded.

“Um… the ectoplasm isn’t killing him. It’s keeping him alive?” Tucker offered.

“Then we…?” Maddie’ voice trailed off, and she gasped, pressing a hand against her mouth. They were trying to remove the ectoplasm from his system. If they did that… then Danny would die. Maddie stood, dazed, and lowered herself onto the bench beside he husband. She was so out of it, she didn’t even protest when Snowstorm knelt down beside Danny, holding her hands over his chest as a soft blue glow spread from her claws to cover his body. Three words continued to reverberate through her head.

_Danny would die._

_And would be their fault_.

Maddie sat there, practically comatose, as she stared at her son. 

* * *

 

Jack Fenton, who wasn’t fully aware of how serious his son’s injuries were, remained oblivious to his part in Danny’s poor physical state. He was, however, extremely worried. While he may not have known _how_ serious it was, he did understand that it _was_ serious.

He had been about to protest when the large yeti, Snowstorm Danny had called her, knelt beside his son. But it had moved so carefully, and he hadn’t noticed any malice in the action, that Jack’s protests had died on his lips. He had never had as strong negative feelings towards ghosts as Maddie had, instead being more curious about their existence then the insistence that they were evil. Of course, before now he had never considered them _good_.

Sure, Phantom fought of other ghosts all the time, but Jack viewed that as the ghost boy being territorial. Keeping other ghosts out of his haunt. He still caused a lot of destruction in town. Not to mention that time when he had kidnapped the mayor, and been robbing jewellery stores. During the Disasteroid incident, if Phantom and the other ghosts hadn’t helped out, then the Ghost Zone would have been destroyed too. Once the world was safe again, they resumed attacking Amity Park.

But now?

The three ghosts across from them looked as worried as Jack felt. And the way Danny had spoken to that Ember girl, it was just like how he used to talk to Jazz when they were both younger. And when they fought less. That Dorathea ghost had even flat out called Danny her brother.

Jack frowned. He hadn’t thought ghost could actually _feel_ things, and now he was actually doubting his original suspicions for Danny’s befriending of ghosts. It wasn’t so that he could take them out from the inside, it was because they actually _were_ his _friends_. He truly saw them that way. If Jack had had any doubts about that before (which he had, many) they were immediately thrown out the window when Danny had reacted so harshly to Maddie threatening Ember. For a moment, Jack looked at his son proudly. He had been so ready to defend someone he considered a friend, despite the fact that he knew his parents didn’t like ghosts.

He decided that, once Danny was awake, he would have to ask him about ghosts and see just how much his son knew. 

* * *

Mr. Lancer decided that he didn’t know anything about Danny Fenton. Nothing at all. People always assumed that Lancer hated the boy, because of how harsh he was in terms of dolling out punishments, but Lancer knew that in terms of school work, he was quite lenient. He always gave Danny an extra day or two to finish his assignments, and let him retake tests that he missed.

In all honesty, Lancer was never sure why he did this. Danny was consistently late, appeared to put very little effort into his school work, and often fell asleep in class. So, Lancer took the natural course of action. Punish the boy in the hopes that he would learn his lesson and start to do better. But he didn’t. Lancer had almost given up, _almost_ , but something had stopped him.

It had been after school, and Danny had just been released from detention, when Lancer caught him lingering in the halls. The boy had been talking to himself, rather harshly, berating himself for his poor school work and something about “not enough vigilance during patrols.” Lancer had been impressed with the use of the large word. Ever since then, he had been a little gentler, but still doled out detentions as needed. Although now he used that time to try and help Danny with his homework.

Now, after everything that had been happening in the past week, Lancer didn’t know what to think of the boy. It was apparent that, before passing out, he had been in tremendous amounts of pain. But how long had he been in pain for? Had he been forcing himself to stay conscious, to fight through it, so that no one would worry?

The familiarity with ghosts Lancer was only mildly surprised with, what with Danny’s parents being ghost hunters. But the fact that his parents didn’t know had been a bit of a shock.

For what Lancer assumed was no reason at all, he found himself thinking back on that sheet of paper he had found Danny scribbling on during class. The one covered in Latin. If he had held it a moment longer, Lancer possibly could have translated a sentence or two. But the boy had looked desperate to get it back, so Lancer didn’t keep it.

There was, however, the one phrase that he had glimpsed across it several times. At the moment, Lancer couldn’t remember exactly what it said, Latin or no, but he thought that it would be important to figuring out the student that he cared so much for. He mulled it over, trying to remember the shape of the letters, the words, even how long they were. So far the only portion he was able to recall, was that the first word was “I”, nothing more. Not yet, at least. He assumed that this carriage to wherever they were going would be a long one, which meant that he would be able to think on the phrase for quite a while.

Lancer knew he would figure out what it said, and what it meant.

It was only a matter of time.


	16. The A-listers and Tucker in the Carriage

“You don’t think that’s our fault, do you?” Kwan asked. The A-listers were huddled together after having watched Danny pass out.

They heard Mrs. Fenton say something about thirty-two, and Dash shot back a quick “Told you” before responding to Kwan.

“No, it’s not our fault. That gun isn’t harmful to humans, and technically doesn’t harm ghosts. Just pushes them out of ya. You saw his stupid, bumbling dad shoot too. It’s probably his fault,” Dash said, but his words did come out as confident as he intended.

“What if it hurt the ghost boy?” Paulina asked with wide eyes. She didn’t even think about Fenton.

“Of course it didn’t,” Star snapped in her straightforward manner. “It’s obvious the Phantom wasn’t possessing Fenton, or else he would have come out when Dash shot him. And Dash, if it is any of our faults, it’s yours.”

“What? You guys wanted to see Phantom to,” Dash hissed.

“You were, like, the one who shot him,” Paulina pointed out.

“Yeah, man. He could sue you, you could go to jail!” Kwan squeaked.

“It’s not my fault, I’m not gonna go to jail!” Dash struggled to keep his voice low. “Am I?”

“If they sure you for assault, you will.” Three pairs of eyes fell on Star, who was not at all acting like her normal, ditzy, cheerleader self.

“What? My daddy’s a lawyer,” Star huffed. She knew most people assumed she was stupid, but she was actually kind of smart. Playing dumb just made it that much easier so weasel information out of people, because they didn’t know they were giving it. She met each of her friends’ gazes, then continued.

“It’s the perfect revenge. You bully him non-stop, so what better way to end it then to send you where you can’t do it anymore?” Star smiled and giggled in her normal dumb blonde routine. “I would.”

“Fenton wouldn’t sue me, he’s too scared,” Dash attempted to wave off the prominent threat.

“Um, Dash? Did you forget what he just did? He threatened to send a ghost after you! He was lifting you _off the floor_ with his own two hands,” Kwan ranted.

“He so strong. And he’s taller than you, too,” Paulina said dreamily.

“So you have a crush on Fenton now?” Star asked, looking disgusted.

“Ew, no, not _that_ loser. Danny _Phantom_ is the only boy for me. Fenton just made me think of him is all,” Paulina scoffed. “You know, because of their… name. Yes, their name.”

Star’s eyes were filled with doubt as she processed what Paulina had just said, her eyes flicking back and forth between the unconscious Danny, and love struck Paulina. She furrowed her brow, deep in thought, then blinked in surprise.

“Oh,” Star breathed, her eyes finally falling on Danny.

“What?” Kwan asked, but Star ignored him. She stood, jostling the Latina beside her, and walked away, her call of “Hey, Foley!” being the last thing her friends heard.

“That was so weird,” Paulina said.

“As weird as you being in love with _Fenton_?” Dash grinned.

“I’m not in love with Fenton! I love the ghost boy, and he probably loves me too. He’s saved me several times before, you know,” Paulina sighed.

“Yeah, we know. You won’t stop talking about it,” Dash groaned.

“I bet he’ll come and save me now! If it weren’t for Fenton or that stupid Speeder breaking, we would be home by now. The air here is so bad for my hair, and the lack of sun will ruin my perfect complexion,” Paulina whined.

“Why did we come here, anyways?” Dash added in annoyance.

“Because you wanted to follow Fenton, see if Phantom was with him,” Kwan explained. Dash glared at his best friend. Was he implying that this was all Dash’s fault?

“You wanted to see Phantom just as much as I did,” Dash countered harshly.

“Of course, yeah, we all did,” Kwan nodded and raised his hands in surrender. There was no arguing with Dash.

But Kwan did kind of blame it Dash. He wouldn’t deny that he had played his own part, having been willing to watch Fenton get shot just so that he could see his hero. Kwan swallowed guiltily. He’d had misgivings about what Dash had wanted to do, he always did. But, again as always, Kwan went along with them with barely a word of protest. He remembered when they were younger, before Dash had moved to Amity in elementary school. As little kids often did, everyone hung out together, because it didn’t matter that they were different. Kwan even remembered how cool it was that Fenton could speak German. But once Dash came, and he had seemed so cool, and he started picking on Fenton and Foley, it just became something everyone did. Either ignore it, or take part in it, but never, _ever_ defend the nerds. Or else you would be treated the same as them.

Despite the urgency of their current situation, Kwan found himself thinking back on those days when everyone had been friends, and absently wondered why Fenton never spoke German anymore.

Paulina continued to ramble on and on about the ghost boy for several minutes before she noticed that neither Kwan nor Dash were paying any attention to her. She huffed and snapped at them, but they gave no reply. Finally, she gave up and slumped back in her seat. If Star hadn’t gone off to talk with that loser geek Foley, then she would have listened avidly to what Paulina was saying. At least, that’s what the Latina believed.

She thought about Star and Dash’s accusations. How dare they accuse her, the queen of Casper high, of liking that loser _Danny Fenton_. Sure, Danny was muscular, and obviously strong too in order to lift Dash so easily. And he was tall. Everyone had noticed that Fenton had gained some height in the last year, but because he was always slouching or hunched over at his desk, no one actually knew how tall he had become. Apparently taller than Dash who, last anyone had bothered to check, had been almost a whole head taller than Fenton. How had they not noticed?

And then there was Fenton’s perpetually messy hair, which always managed to look good. And his eyes, being such a cool, icy shade of blue that the girls of Casper High had secretly fawned over for years. Paulina jumped, realizing where her train of thought was going.

“I don’t have a crush on that loser,” Paulina muttered firmly. But if anyone had actually been listening, it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself then those around her. Her eyes settled on the unconscious halfa, and somewhere, deep in the back of her mind, Paulina wished he would be okay.

During this time, Dash was thinking both very little, and very much at the same time. He looked everywhere around the carriage but at his favourite punching bag for the longest time. He even looked at that scary yeti ghost first, but there were only so many things to see in the confined space.

When he finally did look at the raven haired boy, one question broke through the stark jungle that was Dash Baxter’s current thoughts.

 _Did I do this?_  

* * *

Tucker sighed in relief. For now, it looked like Mrs. F had bought his quick lie.

_“It’s keeping him alive.”_

It was the only thing that Tucker could think of, and he suddenly found it highly impressive that Danny had managed to keep his secret for a full year. He also started to wonder if there was some form of truth in his statement. Danny had yet to tell them how it happened, but obviously he had died, if only momentarily, and had long term effects. Maybe the ectoplasm _had_ saved his life, and without it he would be dead now.

Tucker shivered. He couldn’t imagine life without his best friend. He hated himself for thinking this, but Tucker was relieved that Danny got the brunt of the bullying. He and Sam did constantly ask him about it, but Danny always insisted that he could take. Better him than someone else. Better him than Tucker. And Danny was right, Tucker knew he would never be able to take. The occasional punch or quality locker time was bad enough. But daily? Hourly? He couldn’t do that. And Danny had been his friend since forever. Neither of them could remember a time when they _weren’t_ friends.

But Danny was strong, way stronger than anyone realized it. He would fine, right?

Tucker refused to be so pessimistic. That was Sam’s job. He visibly flinched at the thought of Sam. She was strong too, she would be fine. Danny would get better, and he would go charging after her. Then he would rescue her, and they’d probably make out, or something.

“As long as it’s not when I’m around,” Tucker said, sticking out his tongue. Then he remembered something very important.

“You guys owe me twenty bucks, each,” Tucker said, thrusting his hand out towards Mr. and Mrs. Fenton. “So does Jazz, but I’ll get her money when we get home.”

The elder Fenton’s blinked at Tucker, then Jack spoke. “You mean…?”

“They kissed,” Tucker nodded in confirmation. “And Sam called herself his girlfriend. Pissed off a lot of girls at school.”

Jack glanced at his catatonic wife. “When we get back.”

Tucker nodded. He had hoped that that topic of conversation could have brought their minds off their current situation. Apparently it wouldn’t suffice. Tucker sighed, then grinned when he heard Star shout.

“Hey, Foley!”

“Finally come to your senses, have you?” Tucker asked, leaning back and turning his smile on her.

“Gross, in your dreams,” Star scoffed as she sat down next to him.

“Okay!” Tucker’s grin widened.

“You’re, like, Fenton’s best friend or whatever. I have a question.”

“He already has a girlfriend,” Tucker answered quickly.

“What? No. And I knew those two freaks would end up together. It’s about ghosts. The ghost boy, to be exact,” Star said.

“Really?” Tucker looked nervous.

“Yeah. Fenton obviously knows his ghosts. Has he ever met Phantom?” Star asked.

“Oh, that’s all?” Tucker sighed in relief, then caught Star watching him carefully. “I mean! I don’t know, sure Danny knows a lot of ghosts, but even I didn’t know that until recently. He may have met Phantom. You’ll just have to ask when he wakes up.”

“Is that so?”

Tucker shrugged and crossed his arms.

“Then I guess I will.” Star crossed her arms as well and leaned back.

“You know, while you’re here, are you sure you don’t want to-”

“No.”

“I didn’t even ask yet!”

“But you were going to. The answer is still no.”

Tucker dropped his head in defeat.

The rest of the carriage ride was spent in silence, everyone deep in their own thoughts while Snowstorm did her best to keep Danny’s temperature down. No one noticed as the carriage slowed to a stop.

What they did notice, was the door flying open along with a gust of icy cold air, and a large, foreboding figure filling the frame.


	17. Far Frozen

Paulina screamed while Jack, acting mostly on instinct, screamed “GHOST!” and lunged for the figure in the doorway.

“Whoa there, big guy, don’t scare the locals,” Ember shot to her feet and grabbed Jack’s arm while Snowstorm stepped in front of the large man. She faced the shadow and bowed low.

“Frostbite, my liege, the Great One has been seriously afflicted.” Snowstorm rose from her bow and stepped to the side, gently moving Jack out of the way so that the yeti king could see Danny. Frostbite’s expression turned grave.

“Bring him, quickly,” Frostbite said. Snowstorm nodded and bent down to pick Danny up. Maddie chose that moment to finally break free from her depressing thoughts.

“Get away from him, ghost!” She snapped, crouching protectively beside her son.

“Mrs. F, they’re trying to help. Snowstorm…?” Tucker received a nod from the female yeti, and he continued. “We need to move Danny, and Snowstorm is probably a better choice for that then you are.”

Maddie glared at Tucker, then at Snowstorm.

“Jack can carry him,” Maddie said shortly.

“If that would please you. But we must move quickly. Daniel’s condition has been deteriorating rapidly, and the longer you resist our help, the worse he will get,” Snowstorm complied, her voice all but kind. Maddie looked affronted that a ghost would speak to her in that manner, while Jack slid his arms underneath Danny’s knees and neck to carry him bridal style. He followed Snowstorm out of the carriage, with Tucker, Lancer, and the A-listers close behind him. Maddie remained kneeling on the floor for several seconds, still shocked that a ghost had spoken so harshly to her. Then she realized that she had left Danny with them, and ran after the group. When she arrived, Maddie noticed that the ghost with blue fire for hair, and one Danny called his sister weren’t with them. Absently, she wondered where they had gone, and what nefarious things they were planning.

“Why do you keep calling Danny ‘Great One’?” Tucker asked, jogging to keep up with the yeti’s long strides.

“You are Tucker Foley, correct?” Snowstorm asked.

“Yeah. Danny’s best friend,” Tucker nodded.

“That, I know. I believe everyone here knows that,” Snowstorm smiled. “You, Lord Foley, along with Lady Manson, have been the subject of many conversations. The Great One speaks avidly of your adventures.”

“He does?” Tucker found himself grinning. “Wait, lord and lady?”

“You are the Great One’s good friends, and as such you are given our respect. As for your earlier question, Daniel has assisted our kingdom many kinds, and he is a very powerful being. He is, as you could say, great,” Snowstorm gave a toothy smile and Tucker snorted and the bad pun.

“Hey, what about us?” Dash asked. If the techno-geek and Goth freak were like lords here, then surely he would be the equivalent of a prince.

“Yes, Daniel has spoken of you,” this time it was Frostbite that replied. He stopped walking and turned to face the A-listers. “Paulina Sanchez, Kwan Lee, Star DeLisle, and Dash Baxter.”

Frostbite scowled at the four of them, a very frightening sight when the one doing the scowling has razor sharp teeth.

“We are not fond,” Frostbite said, then continued forwards. The A-listers shared nervous glances before following, wondering what exactly Danny had told the fearsome yeti’s about them. They also found themselves regretting their past treatment of Danny, if only because it might negatively affect the treatment they receive from the ghosts now. Not actually because they felt bad for doing it.

They followed Frostbite into what was undoubtedly a medical bay, and Tucker gave a low, appreciative whistle.

“All this tech is amazing!” Tucker gasped, running to the nearest computer while Jack placed Danny on one of the beds at Snowstorms instruction. Everything looked sleek, shiny, and new. Tucker was dying to see if it would be possible to hack, and was practically drooling over the control board. He groaned reluctantly when Snowstorms large paw dropped onto his shoulder and dragged him back.

“Another time, Lord Foley. We have been informed of your love of technology, but for the moment you should rest. It is nearing midnight on the human realm.”

Tucker sighed and ceased his struggles to break free and run towards the computer. Snowstorm chuckled, then turned to address everyone else.

“I will be taking you to your rooms, so if you would all please follow me,” she waved a paw and started to leave the medical bay, Paulina grumbling about having to walk more.

“Great Ones parents, if you could please remain here, I have questions,” Frostbite said without looking back at the group. He was hunched over Danny on the bed, attaching an IV and heartrate monitors.

 _Why would ghosts have stuff like that?_ The Fentons thought.

“Snowstorm has informed me that you and the Baxter child are the cause of Daniel’s unfortunate condition?” Frostbite asked once the others had left. Maddie nodded meekly, guilt and grief plastered on her face, while Jack protested.

“Of course not! The BB-Blaster is absolutely harmless to humans. It should only be attacking the ectoplasm in Danny’s blood, healing him. Those injuries must be from the skeleton spooks that attacked us,” Jack boomed.

“Attacking the ectoplasm?” Frostbite looked stricken. “What is the nature of the gun you used?”

“It uses a compounded serum, made from blood blossoms and anti-ecto energy. It’s designed to immobilize and break a ghost apart from within,” Jack grinned, proud that this invention had actually been all his.

“And the weapon used by Dash Baxter?” Frostbite asked. His voice almost seemed to be trembling.

“I think that was the Fenton Forcer,” Maddie said. “It forces a ghost out of a human’s body when they’re being overshadowed.”

“And the components used to do so?”

“An altered ectoplasmic residue that attacks the overshadowing ghost before forcing it out. It disperses harmfully in the bloodstream once the task has been completed.” Maddie frowned. She shouldn’t be telling that to a ghost. She didn’t want to be, but she felt _compelled_ to. The words had just slipped from her tongue and she hadn’t been able to stop them. She scowled at Frostbite, who had turned back to Danny and was unwrapping her son’s chest, while muttering to himself.

“Ectoplasmic residue… the blood blossoms must have also responded to the Forcer’s charge, decreasing its effects.” Frostbite placed a paw over Danny’s chest, and it suddenly slipped inside of it. Maddie and Jack cried out in shock. The ghost would kill him! But they couldn’t move and looked down to see ice around their feet, holding them in place.

After a short time, Frostbite removed his hand from Danny’s chest.

“His core is still intact. Damaged, but whole. Minimal damage to the heart, but it will take some time to heal fully. The blood blossoms…” Frostbite turned away from Danny and moved to a large cabinet. He threw open the doors, revealing a large number of vials and medicine bottles. His large paw closed around one, preventing Maddie and Jack from seeing what it was.

The yeti king went back to Danny’s side, opened the bottle, and poured a generous amount of the liquid inside into Danny’s lips. He also scattered several drops onto Danny’s chest, and although red smoke briefly rose from the wound, the halfa visibly relaxed. His breathing slowed, and the tension in his muscles eased. Finally, once Danny had been taken care of, and his chest was rewrapped, Frostbite looked back to Danny’s parents.

“You could have killed him,” Frostbite snapped, causing the ghost hunters to flinch.

Maddie, sensing that her son was no longer in immediate danger, regained her boldness and anger towards ghosts. “Tucker told us that the ectoplasm was keeping Danny alive, what did he mean by that?”

Jack turned wide eyes on his wife. If what she were saying was true then… what Frostbite said could be true as well.

“Why do believe I would know the answer to that?” Frostbite asked, genuinely curious. He knew that the older Fentons didn’t trust ghosts in the slightest.

“You obviously know more about my son than I do, and I would like to know why. But first, I would like to know what _you_ know,” Maddie said.

“Fair enough. The ectoplasm isn’t keeping Danny alive-” Jack relaxed at hearing this. “But it isn’t harming him either. In fact, the ectoplasm in Danny’s blood is very much a part of him now. It, like any other vital function, cannot be removed, or he’ll die.”

“What?” Jack shouted. “That can’t be true! Then when I shot Danny, that means that I-”

“Could have killed him, _was_ killing him, as I already mentioned,” Frostbite confirmed, and all the colour drained from Jack’s face.

“Why do you know so much about our son? And why should I trust anything your saying?” Maddie asked.

“Daniel has spent many days and nights here in the Far Frozen, he is welcome anytime and has his own quarters as well. It is your choice whether you trust me or not. I know that Daniel does, and that he would want you to. I have duties to attend to, and cannot remain here answering your questions. One of the guards will take you to where the others are, and on your way, there is something I wish for you to remember. I saved your son’s life, while you would have killed him,” Frostbite’s voice was close to a growl, something that rarely happened with him. But when it came to Daniel, he was extremely protective of the boy, and respected him greatly. On his way out, Frostbite gave the guard outside the door instructions to take the Fentons to their rooms, and to make sure none of the humans left the hall. 

* * *

“Is it always so cold here?” Paulina whined as they trailed behind Snowstorm. Tucker gave the walls an almost sarcastic look, before replying to the Latina.

“This place is Far _Frozen_. The castle is made of _ice_ ,” Tucker explained slowly, as if to a small child. It turned out to be necessary.

“So? I’m cold, and they should have heaters in here.”

“Then the castle would melt! And if you haven’t noticed, they are yetis, they aren’t going to be cold here. Heaters would make them uncomfortable.”

“ _So_? _I’m_ cold!”

Tucker groaned and slapped a hand to his forehead. How had he ever had a crush on this girl? Ignoring the fact that she was beautiful, she was also stupid. And inconsiderate. And shallow. Tucker shoved his fingers in his ears so he wouldn’t have to listen to her whining. Star was about to snap at her best friend, something that she rarely did, when Paulina’s mouth suddenly snapped shut with a loud clacking of teeth. She had stopped walking and was staring intently at a door down the hall, when her jaw slowly opened again.

“Danny Phantom lives here!” Paulina squealed, pointing down the hall. There, just visible beyond Snowstorm’s hulking figure, was a black door with a silver DP in the middle. Before anyone could say anything, Paulina was running down the hall, slipping a little on the icy floors, and shakily skidding to a stop in front of the door. The other A-listers close behind. Snowstorm was about to protest, but before the words could leave her lips, the A-listers were through the door and gaping at the beautiful room.

“Danny better not have anything obvious in here,” Tucker muttered as he jogged to catch up.

“I feel as if the Great One would not be so cautious about that, this room being so far into the Ghost Zone,” Snowstorm replied.

Snowstorm, who, along with many other and out of respect for the Great One, had never been inside Danny’s room, was looking around admirably. The colour scheme was obvious. Black, silver, green, and blue. The ceiling, which had been painted black, was covered in small silver dots that most people recognized to be constellations. The bed against the wall appeared large and comfortable, resting on an ornate, cool blue frame. Against one wall was a plush and welcoming green couch, several booking case that stood floor to ceiling looming beside it.

Paulina, shrieking with glee, launched herself onto Danny’s bed. Dash and Kwan were disappointed to see there wasn’t anything related to sports to be seen, but were awed nonetheless. Tucker was grinning at the assortment of books on the shelves, which ranged from astrology books, to books on languages, to books on dark poetry that Sam had no doubt given to Danny at some point or other. He noticed that the spine of every book was worn, except for one titled _The Fright Before Christmas 2._

Curious, Tucker slipped it from the shelf, and opened the first page to see a picture of a very evil looking Danny laughing over a pile of ashes. Below the picture was a note.

_To the Halfa who hates Christmas,_

_May this yuletide gift serve as warning to all the horrible things I can do the next time you destroy one of my works._

_Also, I’ve written so this book is indestructible and it will always appear in one of any rooms you consider home._

_Merry Christmas,_

_The Ghost Writer_

Tucker chuckled and closed the book, making a mental note to ask Danny about the story, and to read it later. As he was sliding back into its space on the shelf, he heard a door open and immediately turned to look. Everyone followed suit, the A-listers hoping beyond hope that it would be their hero. It wasn’t, but it certainly wasn’t far from it.

“Daddy! Is that you, I-”

Standing in the doorway of a silver door, which a cursive version of Danny Phantom’s logo, was a young girl. She had paused mid-step, her mouth hanging open, and judging by her posture, she had been about to run out to greet whoever she thought was in the room. Obviously, she wasn’t expecting a bunch of humans. The girl had bright, neon green eyes and, if it weren’t for the fact that her snow white hair was long and tied back into a pony tail, it would have been in the same messy style as Danny Phantom’s. In fact, she looked almost exactly like Danny Phantom. Albeit, being younger she had a rounder face, but besides that she was nearly identical.

Her outfit bore the same colour scheme as his, but in terms of design it varied slightly. Her shirt was primarily black, with a slash of white crawling over her right shoulder across the front (and probably back) of it, consuming her right arm. She had one black glove and one white one, and her shirt cut off to show her midriff. Her pants, also primarily black, had white accents at the bottom, and her boots were white as well.

Finally, emblazoned on her chest, was the cursive DP that hovered behind her head.

Tucker openly gawked at the girl who could have been a female version of Danny. Paulina fumed, believing this girl to possibly by Phantom’s girlfriend (apparently she didn’t notice the family resemblance, or the fact that the girl had said daddy). Lancer, however, did notice, and wondered how old Danny could have a daughter that looked like she was twelve.

There were a few seconds of strained silence, then a certain ghost hunting couple appeared in the entrance to Danny’s room.

“Ghost girl!” Jack cried, momentarily drawn from the thoughts of his son, and habitually reaching around for his Fenton Bazooka. The girl, seeing the action but not noticing the absence of a physical weapon, shrieked and ran back inside her room, slamming the door shut. Maddie and Jack ran forwards, whipping the silver door open, but the girl wasn’t inside. Jack grumbled in disappointment while Maddie quickly searched the blue and red room, checking under the bed and in the closet to see if the girl was hiding anywhere. She gone.

“Hey, Snowstorm, who was that?” Tucker asked.

“Was that Phantom’s daughter?” Lancer asked slowly.

“Daughter?!” Several heads shot up and looked at Lancer, then at the nodding yeti.

“Yes. Danielle, is Phantom’s daughter. She has been travelling for the past few months. We were expecting her return, but I didn’t know she was back already. Daniel will be ecstatic,” Snowstorm smiled softly.

Everyone continued to stare at Snowstorm, each one lost in their own whirlwind of thoughts.

 _Danny had a daughter? How did_ that _happen? Gross, don’t think of that. But she looked twelve?!_

_Does this mean that the ghost boy already has a girlfriend? Or worse, what if he’s married?_

_Daniel, what kinds of things have happened to you?_

_Great. Now I have_ another _thing to ask him when he wakes up._

_If we captured her, we could use her to lure Phantom to us!_

“If you would all continue following me, your rooms are close by,” Snowstorm said, drawing everyone out of their thoughts.

“I want to stay here, in the ghost boy’s room!” Paulina’s voice was high and whiny, something that annoyed everyone present.

“Let me assure you, it will not be appreciated by any if you do. Especially not by Phantom,” Snowstorm glared at the Latina, who wavered under the hard gaze. She gave a short, obedient nod, and slid off of Danny’s bed to follow everyone else out of the room.

Snowstorm led them a little way down the hall to a large and open doorway. The room inside was long and wide, with several tables resting end to end in the middle. Sculpture of ice were carve into alcoves in the walls, and between each alcove was a door.

“Through those doors are the rooms, you may occupy whichever you please. Please do not leave the hall,” Snowstorm instructed, then left with a polite nod of her head. 

* * *

Sam officially decided that being a captive sucked. The mysterious ghost had yet to act on his threat to kill Sam, but he seemed to enjoy causing her pain. He never did anything that could have been fatal, just a few cuts here, maybe a bruise there. Sam was sure that, if she looked in a mirror, she would be a pretty sight. Currently, she was sitting in a cell somewhere in the basement of Sable—the castle that the ghost had informed her she was in.

She had been alone for a couple hours, and was becoming very hungry and light headed. Sam didn’t know exactly how long she had been in Sable, but assumed it was at least a day. That also meant she had missed taking the supplements required to accompany her vegan diet. She was feeling light headed and wanted to sleep, but a sense of foreboding kept her awake.

The feeling didn’t spring from anything related to her, but from a few offhand comments the ghost had said in regards to Danny. He had mentioned one of his minions doing something to Danny several times. Something that, come tomorrow—or maybe my now it was today—would be very bad news for the halfa. Unless, of course, he complied to the ghosts demands. It frustrated Sam to no end that she couldn’t get more information. Had this minion already attacked Danny, or was the attacking going to happen when he refused the ghosts request (Sam had no doubts in her mind that Danny might be tempted to accept whatever offers the ghost would make).

She also supposed that this was why she wasn’t dead yet. If Danny refused, she could be used as incentive. This severely pissed her off. Sam Manson was not a bargaining tool. She was not a damsel in distress. And she was not going to give up Danny.

For now, though, she would have to figure out how to sleep these annoying cuffs. 

* * *

For once, Danny felt no desire to keep his eyes shut. The very moment he was able to do so, they flung open and he looked around one of the few rooms in the Far Frozen not to be walled by ice, but a metallic material similar to that of what lined the walls of the Fenton’s lab. His pain was dulled, and Danny was able to sit up with minimal groaning.

He pulled the needle of the IV out of his arm and removed the heart monitors. Danny was alone, so he swung his feet of the bed and stood up, immediately regretting the decision. He may not have been in as much pain, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t in any. The moment Danny rose to his feet, the whole room began to spin and his head throbbed. He pressed the heel of his palm against his temple and waited for the world to settle before moving again. His first couple of steps were nothing short of a stumble, but Danny soon managed to right himself and was making his way towards the door when it opened.

“Frostbite!” Danny shouted, his grin wide.

“Great One, you’re awake!” Frostbite was suddenly in front of Danny, pulling him into a warm, and strong hug.

“Chest, wounds, still recovering!” Dany gasped, and Frostbite immediately let go.

“How are you feeling, Great One?” Frostbite asked, steering Danny back towards the Danny. Danny obediently sat down while Frostbite checked his wound.

“I feel fine,” Danny replied, but the soft hiss that escaped his lips when Frostbite peeled away the dressing said otherwise. Frostbite, who understood Danny’s need to put on a brave face whenever he was around others, made no comment about the lie.

“You and your companions arrived here around seven hours ago, and I administered the necessary medicines right away.” While Frostbite gave Danny the same explanation of his parent’s weapons that Maddie gave him, he examined Danny’s chest. The skin that had been blackened had peeled away when Frostbite removed the bandages. Scabs were forming over the lacerations and along the edges of what strips of skin had remained connected. Blisters were scattered across the burn as it attempted to heal itself. There were hints of ectoplasm under his skin as Danny’s ghostly abilities slowly took over the healing process. No longer was there any blood blossom serum bubbling along the edges of the wound, and Frostbite assured Danny that the surface would heal within twenty-four hours.

The same could not be said for his ghost core. While it had remained intact, it was still damaged and Danny’s ghost half would be in a weakened state until it could heal.

“It would be best if you refrained from ‘going ghost’, as you like to call it, until your core has recovered. Too much stress could permanently damage it. The same can be said of your heart. While that will recover faster than your core, it will still take a few days. Until then, it’s best if you refrain from physical exertion or raising your heartbeat too much.”

“I can’t exactly do that…” Danny muttered. “After I was shot, the portal in the lab opened and more of those skeleton ghosts attacked. They took Sam and left. A couple days ago, I received a… message from the ghost that’s doing all this. He told me to meet him at Sable in three days’ time, and that I would have the incentive to go. I think that’s what Sam is, and I need to be there today, or else he’s going to do something bad, I can’t let anything happen to Sam. I can’t let anything happen to any of them, but especially not her, because if she’s hurt… Idontknowwhatiddo, it-it would be worse than the portal, Frostbite. She can’t get hurt, shecantgethurtshe-”

“Daniel!” Frostbite’s voice was urgent, but soft, as Danny’s eyes flashed. rested a hand on Danny’s shoulder, calming the panicking halfa.

“I believe this qualifies as raising your heartbeat too much,” Frostbite joked as Danny’s panic attack subsided.

“We will go to Sable. Princess Dorathea, Ember, and I will accompany you, along with a few of my guards. Nothing will happen to Samantha,” Frostbite assured the raven-haired boy. Danny nodded dumbly, and the glazed look in his eyes faded.

“How did you do it?” Danny asked.

“Do what?”

“Get my mom to tell you all of that. There’s no way she’d tell a ghost.”

“Ah, yes. It is one of the perks of being a ghostly king. In the right situation, I, and any other ghost royalty, can compel someone to loosen their tongue,” Frostbite smiled.

“That’s cool,” Danny said, then he smiled at the bad pun. “I have another question. About this.”

Danny held out his right arm, showing Frostbite the ‘bruise’. It wasn’t as dark as it had been when Danny’s gym class saw it, but it was still there. Although one line was obscured by Danny’s newest injury, the other quite visibly spiraled inwards at a spot on his shoulder. Looking at the spot, Danny recalled the fight that had given him the mark, and the pinprick he’d barely felt at the time.

“How did you get it?” Frostbite asked.

“From Skulker. I was fighting him, and had taken him out of his suit, holding him in my hand. Before I could get the thermos out, though, he bit me and flew away.”

“Oh? I believe he injected you with some of his ectoplasm,” Frostbite explained.

“That sounds kind of gross. And bad.”

“It is something very few ghosts know we are capable of doing. If done right, it can even be used to control another ghost. However, this does not appear to have been done with that in mind. May I?” Frostbite’s hand hovered over the spot on Danny’s shoulder and, once receiving a not, phased his fingers through into the spot.

“There _is_ something there, but I’m afraid it’s intangible. I am unable to remove it,” Frostbite removed his hand while Danny sighed.

“Where’s the ghost gauntlets when you need them?”

“Your companions should all be awake by this time, and a feast has been prepared. They will no doubt be hungry, as you must be. And they would be pleased to know you are awake. Eat, then we will discuss what to do at Sable.”

Danny allowed Frostbite to wrap his chest one more, and pulled on the black t-shirt that was offered him, before hesitantly standing. He was pleased to find that, this time, the world didn’t spin, but only seemed to sway a bit before he got his bearings.


	18. The Day I Died

Danny heard the clamour of the Ghostketeers well before he reached the hall. A highly impressive feat, when you considered the fact that there were only seven of them. Of course, Danny concluded, his father _was_ among them, and was a far cry from quiet. For a moment, Danny just stood outside the doorway, listening.

“Ugh, my nail polish is starting to chip, and all this cold air is bad for my skin. I can’t let the ghost boy see me like this!”

Danny snorted, and just barely heard Tucker doing the same.

“Paulina, honestly don’t think the ghost boy cares.”

“Did I say you could talk to me, loser?”

“Yeah, Foley, shut it, or else the only thing you’ll be seeing when we get back is a locker door closing on your face.”

“Uh, Dash? Maybe you shouldn’t say that.”

“Mr. Baxter! I don’t tolerate my students threatening each other.”

“It’s just a joke, Mr. Lancer. I wasn’t being serious or anything.”

“ _These_ idiots are the popular kids at your school?”

“Yeah, but that’s what money does.”

“Wow, poor Sparky. Now I get why he always needs to take out his anger on the Box Ghost.”

“Danny does what?”

“Oh, hey Mrs. F. Danny doesn’t do anything, what are you talking about?”

“Danny-boy fights ghosts! I knew it, a true Fenton!”

 _Great. Thanks a lot, Ember,_ Danny thought as he finally entered the room. Everyone was gathered together at the end of a series of tables closest to the door. The seat at the head of the table was empty and to the right of it were Maddie, Jack, Star, and Paulina. On the left side were Tucker, Dora, Ember, Dash, and Kwan. Danny smirked a little at the arrangement. Even though Dash and Kwan probably only sat with the ghosts so that they could be close to Ember McClain, they weren’t so divided anymore. It was a nice sight to see. Of course, it would be nicer if Maddie wasn’t sending the occasional glare at Dora and Ember. Jack seemed content, but Danny could feel the emotions rolling off of them. They were worried, scared, and guilty.

Everyone had yet to see Danny, so opted to remain silent until he dropped into the chair at the head of the table, sitting with his legs over the arm rest, and his right arm draped around the back.

“So what’d I miss?” Danny asked when all eyes suddenly shot to him.

“Dipstick, you’re okay!” Ember grinned.

“Aw, were you worried about me? I feel so touched,” Danny smiled at the rock star sweetly.

“Yeah, worried I wouldn’t have anyone to beat up when I’m bored.”

“I would say the same, but I believe you already mentioned that’s what I use the Box Ghost for.”

“So it’s true!” Maddie exclaimed, but Danny could tell she wasn’t as mad as she normally would have been.

Danny, seeing no sense in trying to hide the small fact since it had now been mentioned twice, nodded. “Yeah. I sort of never told you guys, but that’s why your equipment goes missing all the time. I thought that if I told you, you’d all just be really worried and everything, but I’m actually pretty good, so… yeah.”

Danny rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly at his parents, while those who didn’t know his secret gaped at him.

“That’s also why I know some of the ghosts. Not all of them are bad, and they’ve helped me out a couple of times.” _A couple dozen times_ Danny added silently.

“Danny, that was extremely dangerous! You could have been hurt,” Maddie gasped, remember Danny’s scars. “You have been hurt. A lot.”

“Just a little?” But Danny’s statement came out as more of a question. Maddie’s eyes narrowed, the focused on his chest.

“Are you okay?” She asked tentatively.

“Mostly, yeah. The Far Frozen is really advanced in terms of medicine and stuff,” Danny shifted so that he was now sitting properly in his chair, having caught sight of some yeti’s entering through a door at the back of the room, their arms laden in lidded platters.

“Sir Fenton, you should be more careful,” Dora’s eyes fell on Danny’s exposed arms, littered with scars and burns. “I expect to one day find you visiting my castle, and there will no longer be an inch of undamaged skin left.”

Danny laughed as the yeti’s set down the platters on the table before them.

“I’ll try, Dora. I really will,” Danny smirked, then leaned forwards when the lids of the platters were removed. One of Danny’s favourite things about the Far Frozen was the food. The yeti’s, being large beings, needed large amounts of food. They also liked that food to be absolutely delicious. Danny would never mention it to Dora’s face, but food provided by Frostbite was his favourite. The platters were piled high with golden pancakes, crispy bacon and evenly browned sausages, succulent fruits, and flaky pastries. Pitchers of fresh juice were set down, along with containers of honey coloured syrup. Between Ember and Dora were two trays covered in similar foods, but seemed off in terms of colour. This, of course, was due to the ectoplasm found within.

Tucker practically dove for the trays of bacon and sausages, ignoring anything else on the table. Kwan and Dash shared Tucker’s enthusiasm, and wasted little time being polite. The girls were more conservative, but equally as enthusiastic. Maddie and Jack, however, looked at the food warily.

“It’s human food,” Danny said, answering their unasked questions. “Only the stuff by Dora and Ember can harm you guys.”

Dash, who had been reaching for one of the green tinted pastries, quickly snatched his hand back.

“It’s fused with ectoplasm to gives ghosts energy. That’s why the colour is weird,” Danny explained. As if to show his parents further, Dany grabbed a few things from the trays, and compared them to the ‘pure’ food. Jack hesitantly reached for a piece of bacon, held it up to the one in Danny’s hand, then ate it. A grin split across his face.

“Best food in the Ghost Zone. Second only to Dora’s, of course,” Danny hastily added. Dora smiled at him, while Ember chuckled.

Danny moved to put the food in his hands back on the platters, but slipped it in among the normal food already on his plate when no one was looking. He eagerly dug into his food, and pocketed a few more of the ghostly foods for later.

Several content sighs filled the air once all the food had been devoured.

“So since Fenton’s fine, does that mean that we can go home now? Because I need a hairbrush,” Paulina drawled, running her fingers through her frazzled hair.

“I’ll ask Frostbite to send some people so that the Speeder can be fixed, you guys should be able to leave here by tonight,” Danny responded immediately, cutting off anymore of Paulina’s complaining.

“You are in luck, Sir Fenton. I had some of my servants follow behind us. The Speeder is already here, and King Frostbite’s men started working on it hours ago,” Dora interjected.

“Oh, really? Way to go, Dora. I guess you guys will be home by lunch,” Danny smiled.

“You mean ‘we’, Mr. Fenton?” Lancer clarified.

“I actually don’t. I’m not going back, not yet anyways,” Danny flashed everyone a reassuring smile.

“Danny, you will be coming back with us,” Maddie said sternly.

“No, I won’t,” Danny countered. His voice was low and commanding. “Sam is still here, and I have to bring her back. I’m not returning without her.”

Danny shrugged as if this was the most logical thing in the world.

“Danny, you can’t just stay here. We _will_ get Sam, but we should get the rest of the Ghostketeers if we’re going to. Those skeleton ghosts were very strong,” Maddie continued.

“Yes, Mom, I can. Sam is in trouble, and if I don’t meet the ghost who took her today, something bad is going to happen to her. And you were the last person I expected this from! You _hate_ ghosts. You never think twice about going after any ghost, no matter how good they really are. Why are you doing this now?” Danny’s accusatory tone surprised everyone at the table.

“Your safety comes first.”

“No, _Sam’s_ comes first. Always. Everyone’s does. In my books, I’m the last person to be kept safe. I’m also the only one truly capable of doing that. I’m not going to leave Sam, especially not after…” Danny hesitated, and withheld the words he was going to say next, continuing on with his argument. “Frostbite and his guards will be with me. Dora and Ember, too.”

“Hey, dipstick, I never said I’d go help you get your girlfriend,” Ember protested.

“But you will,” Danny’s eyes turned on the rock star, but again his head remained unmoved. As always, the action was unsettling to every living person at the table. The two ghosts, however, were used to Danny’s behaviour that was part of his ghostly persona.

“Yes, we will,” Dora nodded for both of them. Ember slumped in her seat, grumbling, but didn’t say anymore.

“I can’t just leave you here with all these ghosts. I need to make sure you’ll be safe,” Maddie said.

“Well, you’re going to have to, since there’s no other way that-”

“I’ll be going with you.”

Danny’s mouth hung open, comically paused in the middle of his speech. “You’ll come with us? You, Maddie Fenton, my ghost hating mother, will come with me, and help out a bunch of ghosts?”

“While I’d rather not be helping out these spooks, if it is the only way for me to stay with you, then I will.”

“So will I,” Jack beamed.

“Me to! There’s no way I’m missing out on a good ghost fight. Besides, Sam’s my friend too,” Tucker smiled at Danny and, while Danny was thankful for his support, he found his fears being confirmed. This is what always happened, both times his secret had been discovered. His friends had helped him, and they had gotten hurt. That went against Danny’s very reason for existing as a ghost.

“I can’t let you guys do that,” Danny shook his head.

“I’m afraid, Mr. Fenton, that you have very little choice in the matter,” Lancer smirked.

“You too?”

“Yes, me too. Ms. Manson is my student, after all, and what kind of teacher would I be if I didn’t try and protect my students?”

“I’ll go.” Wide eyes fell on Star DeLisle. “Manson may be a loser like you guys, but I’d love for a girl with that much money to be indebted to me.”

Danny, who had suspicions about Star’s true personality, accepted her reason. Everyone looked expectantly at the remaining three A-listers.

“Manson is a classmate,” Kwan shrugged. “I, uh, may not be the nicest to you guys, but I wouldn’t want anything _bad_ to ever happen to you. Not really.”

Only Paulina and Dash were left. They looked stricken, horrified that everyone wanted to stay in the Ghost Zone any longer than they had to, until Star made one, simply comment, that set their minds straight.

“If Manson is in danger, chances are a hero will be there to rescue her. So, you know, Phantom might be there.”

“We’ll go!” Paulina and Dash chorused, their eyes burning with determination. Anything to see their hero. And that’s one of the things that worried Danny most. 

* * *

“None of them will be returning?”

“They’ve all decided to stay and help us get Sam. I don’t really want to take them to Sable, but knowing my parents, they will try and follow us if we leave them behind. They’d probably get lost somewhere, and then we’d just have to go and find them. Or else _he_ might find them first,” Danny shuddered. Sam being taken was bad enough, but if everyone else was gone too? It would be just like his future… Danny quickly shook his head, quelling down his rising panic. He couldn’t have an attack here, not now.

“I will make sure my yetis stay close to them,” Frostbite consoled the young halfa.

“Thanks. Actually, speaking of your yetis, when Snowstorm came to talk to me last week, she said something about you sending guards for me? How come I never saw any of them?” Danny asked.

“Ah. They were careful to stay out of range of your ghost sense, fearing it would interfere with your fighting. Did you not notice that the temperature of your city dropped considerably lower than he should have?”

“Honestly? Not at all. I don’t notice stuff like that anymore. Cold core and all.”

“Hmm, I see,” Frostbite nodded along, but he didn’t sound convinced. “Will your companions be joining the strategy meeting?”

“They might as well. I wouldn’t want them going in there without any knowledge of the place, especially if we’re going to have a plan prior to the meeting.”

“Good. We will be meeting in the conference room within the hour. Make sure everyone is there. Oh! And there will be a surprise for you when you get there.”

Danny raised an eyebrow at his teacher. Frostbite was grinning from ear to ear which, for some reason, felt like a bad sign to the halfa. The yeti king said nothing more as he left Danny standing in the hallway.

For a moment, Danny pondered on the surprise that Frostbite had mentioned, then turned to more serious matters. Danielle hadn’t contacted them yet. At least, Danny assumed she hadn’t. Frostbite would surely tell him if his daughter had arrived, safe and sound, or otherwise. Plus, Snowstorm had also assured Danny that Danielle had promised to contact him once she arrived. Danny gave a worried sigh and shoved his hands in his pockets, slowly making his way back to the hall where they had eaten, and where the Ghostketeers’ rooms were.

So much had happened recently. Vlad coming to him for help. Danny was a little suspicious about that, especially since he hadn’t been able to find the other halfa to tell him what he learned. It was something that nagged at him constantly, but there were more worrying things at the moment. He had told Sam and Tucker his secret, and partially told everyone else. At least they only knew about the ghost hunting, and not about him actually _being_ a ghost. Sam had been taken, the A-listers were actually _helping_ them. Not to mention the fact that they would all have been missing for a day. Danny could only imagine the panic in the human world. What about the ghost attacks? Would the skeletons still be invading Amity Park if Danny wasn’t there? Because he had few doubts that they were sent for a purpose other than harassing him. At least Valerie was still in Amity. She may not be as good a ghost hunter as Danny, but Val was certainly better than his parents. She was one of the best ghost hunters in the world. There was Jazz, too. While she claimed her interest in ghosts was only for the sake of her psychological research, Danny had seen her chasing the Box Ghost one of the few times he let the guy just wander around town.

Amity would be fine.

Danny nodded, reassured. They would go to Sable, rescue Sam, and defeat the evil ghost. Everything would go the way that it always does. The way it always had, ever since the day he first got his powers.

In the middle of a step, Danny stopped. His foot hovered an inch above the floor as he stared straight ahead with eyes. He had just realized it, just now remembered it.

 _Today was the day that I died_.

Danny hugged himself as he felt the panic rising in his chest and, before he could stop it, he was remembering that day. Remembering what happened.

* * *

 

_I stood in the middle of the lab, focused on eerie silence of the house. It wasn’t often, but today was one of the days that I was left with the place all to myself. What better way to occupy my teenage mind then go to the one place I was forbidden?_

_The lab._

_Sure, I had homework I could be doing, but this was the_ lab _. I grinned at the hexagonal hole in the wall. It was my parent’s newest invention, a portal to another dimension, they claimed. But it hadn’t worked. And they, the_ Fenton’s _, had given up on it. I, however, didn’t want to. There were any number of things my parents could have done wrong. Sure, Dad wasn’t as stupid as everyone was led to believe, but that didn’t mean he never made mistakes._

_I checked over the consoles and gauges, but, after comparing it to the pages and pages of blueprints, everything seemed to be in order. So the problem was probably inside. I grabbed the jumpsuit my parents had made for me a few years back, just remembering to pull off the obnoxious picture of my dad’s face from my chest, and stepped inside. The portal was a little deeper than I expected it to be, and cast in shadow. Clear rods filled with wires lined the portal walls, and more wires were littered about on the floor. I was taking care to avoid them, when something above me caught my attention._

_It’s funny how everything after that point seemed to happen in painfully clear detail. Some loose wires dangling from the ceiling were what caught my eye. The protective rubber around them had been stripped away for the last inch. I had been staring up at them when my foot got caught. I quickly looked down to see a bright yellow wire caught around my ankle as I started to fall. In a moment of panic, my arm lashed out against the wall to find support. And I did, for a moment. Then whatever was beneath my palm gave in with a slight click, and I tumbled to the floor._

_My attention was caught by the ugly green button I had just pressed. Beside it was a red one. A low whirring started up, and I ripped my gaze from the buttons. Green electricity crackled along the wires in the clear tubes, and a green glow started to grow._

Run _. That was the only thing I could think. Just run. I scrambled to my feet, but I was moving too slow. The glow was building, the whirring getting louder, and I wasn’t moving fast enough._

_In reality, it all happened in an instant, but it felt like an eternity. The wires above me crackled, then my world became nothing but bright green light and pain as the electricity found its outlet. Me._

_And there was so. Much. Pain._

* * *

“Princess Dorathea, do you know where Danny went?” Tucker asked. The princess, who had been sitting regally at the table ever since the plates and trays were taken away, turned to look at him.

“Yes, Lord Foley. He went to convene with Frostbite before the meeting. He should be returning shortly,” Dora said.

“Oh, okay,” Tucker nodded, almost satisfied. Almost. But Danny had been gone for the better part of an hour, and he had informed them that he would ‘be right back.’ Tucker trusted the ghosts, but he also knew that Danny wasn’t as fine as he claimed to be. Sure, he may have been better, but he wasn’t good. He waited a few more minutes before making up his mind.

“I’m gonna go look for him,” Tucker announced.

“I’ll go with you,” Ember said, quickly following Tucker out of the room.

“Not that I’m not loving this, but why?” Tucker asked.

“I can’t stand being around those stupid jocks any longer. If they ask me to sing for them one more time, I might just do it,” Ember growled.

“But isn’t that what they want?”

“It’s how I attack. My guitar, I play it, and the sound waves affect humans. And halfas too, I guess,” Ember gave a sly grin, remembering the first time she had met Danny.

“Oh, sweet, it affects Danny too? I have to see that,” Tucker chuckled, then looked up as they turned the corner. “Hey! Danny, we’ve been looking for you!”

Tucker ran forwards, but stopped a few feet from his friend. He could see that something was wrong. Danny was standing with his back to them, head stooped, arms wrapped around his chest. He was shaking slightly. Tucker walked around so he could see Danny’s face, and gasped. Danny looked pale, _really_ pale, and he was sweating. His eyes, which were glowing a steady green, were dull and glazed over.

“Uh, Danny?” Tucker asked, unsure of what to do. He waved a hand in front of Danny’s face, but the halfa didn’t even flinch.

“Hey, dipstick, what’re you-” Ember yelped, quickly pulling her hand back from Danny’s shoulder. She stared at it, and where she had touched him.

“He _shocked_ me,” Ember gasped.

“What?”

“Dipstick, he _shocked_ me. Like, electricity,” Ember explained. They both watched Danny with wide eyes.

“We have to snap him out of it,” Tucker stated obviously. “Danny!”

Tucker and Ember shouted at him several more time, but nothing worked.

“I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?” Tucker mused as he raised his hand. He gave Danny a sharp slap, crying out as he, too, was shocked. They waited a moment, and Danny stopped shaking. The glow in his eyes faded and eventually the so did the dull look.

“…Tuck?” Danny asked hoarsely.

“Yeah, Danny. What happened?”

“I… I… I don’t know. I was just thinking about stuff, and then I-I remembered. The day it happened, I remembered today was my death day and I just…” Danny shook his head, attempting to clear his mind. “We’re supposed to meet Frostbite.”

“I don’t know, Sparky. Maybe you shouldn’t go,” Ember said.

“I’m going, I have to. Besides, I’m fine,” Danny gave them his reassuring the smile, the one that everyone knew was fake, and walked away from them.


	19. Invasion

Jazz was tugging on her hairband as she glanced around her living room. The Mansons, the Foleys, Paulina’s dad, the Baxter’s, and Star’s older sister were with her. They were all waiting for a police officer. Last night, after the Ghosketeer meeting ended, Jazz had gone to the library for a quick minute. When she returned, the house had been empty, the lab trashed, and the Specter Speeder gone. Suffice to say, Jazz had panicked. She contacted all the Ghostketeers, and found that Tucker, Sam, Paulina, Star, Dash, and Kwan had not returned home. Their parents panicked much the same as Jazz had, and now they were all here.

There was a knock at the door, and Jazz shot to her feet. Several parents followed her as she welcomed the officer.

“You’re the ones who made the call about the missing, uh, Ghostketeers?” The officer asked. The parents (plus Star’s sister) crowded forwards started shouting out questions all at once, while Jazz slipped through the crowd up to the officer.

“Yes, we are.” The adults quieted down as Jazz spoke.

“Okay. I’m Officer Jackson, I was sent here to clarify last night’s events. Can anyone tell me what happened?” Jackson pulled a small notebook from his pocket and stared expectantly around the group. The Mansons spoke first.

“My daughter came over here last night, for a meeting about _ghosts_ ,” Pamela spat the word. “And didn’t return home after. The Fenton’s obviously kidnapped her.”

“My parents didn’t kidnap anyone,” Jazz snapped, glaring at the socialite couple. “We were having one of our daily Ghostketeer meetings, and when the meeting ended I left the house. When I returned, everyone was gone, and the lab was a mess.”

“May I see the lab?”

Jazz nodded, and everyone followed her downstairs. She had yet to clean anything up, for fear of disturbing a crime scene, so everything had been left as she found it. Weapons and half-finished inventions were strewn about on the floor between smashed panels that had fallen from the walls and ceiling. Near one of the walls was a sickening amount of blood. The only thing Jazz had touched, was the portal, and that was to close it.

“Do you have any idea whose blood that is?” Jackson asked.

“No, I don’t,” Jazz shook her head.

“If they harmed my daughter, those Fenton’s will be in big trouble,” Henry, Paulina’s father, growled.

“Now hold on, we have don’t know for sure what happened here. It won’t benefit anyone if we start making assumptions,” Jackson said. He almost flinched at the harsh glare he received from Henry, and turned his attention to the corners of the room. “Those cameras, do they work?”

Everyone followed his gaze.

“I think they do. My parents have never watched any footage, but they always seem to be one.” Jazz approached one of the computers and logged on using the password Maddie had told her. She searched through the files, ignoring anything invention related, until she finally found on labeled _Security Footage_. She clicked it, and the screen blew up with hundreds of files. Apparently, at the end of each day when the computers clock turned to twelve, the camera footage was automatically labeled and filed. Jazz searched yesterday’s date and found the file.

“Apparently they do. I have the footage from yesterday.” Jazz clicked the video and moved it ahead to the time when the meeting was winding down. She sat back and everyone crowded around her shoulders to see the screen. It showed most of the Ghostketeers leaving, with Lancer lingering in the corner, and the A-listers hiding on the stairs. The audio on the recording wasn’t excellent, but the picture quality was. Either way, no one would be able to mistake the gun in Jack’s hand as the older Fenton’s approached their son, or the device in Dash’s that looked like one of the Fenton’s more compact weapons. As Danny was back against the wall, they noticed how he didn’t look quite right. His figure was blurred, and he was he a little bit see-through? Everyone gasped when Jack and Dash shot Danny, a few eyes turning on the blood that could now be identified.

The Fenton boy’s scream, despite the poor audio quality, was heard loud and clear by everyone watching. The camera shook, the scatted pieces of wall and ceiling that were in shambles at their feet fell in the video, and then the ghosts came. The Ghostketeers leapt into action. Or most of them did. Jack immediately turned the gun he had used on Danny onto the first of the skeletons. Maddie grabbed a bazooka from the wall rack, and Sam and Tucker grabbed their own guns while standing protectively over Danny. The A-lister’s reactions weren’t as quick. Kwan hesitated a moment before copying Sam and Tucker, and he urged his friends to do the same. Paulina and Dash screamed when the ghosts broke through, each one scrambling to hide behind the other. When Dash saw that Kwan was taking action, he hesitantly followed suit. After all, _Dash_ was supposed to be the cool one.

Paulina, however, made no move to fight whatsoever, and instead found refuge inside the elongated Speeder. Star, having no experience fighting ghosts, was quick to follow.

It took only a few seconds for the people watching the tape to see it was very one sided fight. The Ghostketeers were easily pushed back. Tucker knelt down beside Danny and started his attempts at rousing the boy, then a ghost grabbed Sam and she screamed.

“Sammykins!” Pamela cried, leaning further over Jazz.

It was then that Danny’s eyes shot open, and they had a faint green glow to them. He saw the ghosts taking Sam through the portal, and immediately followed, blood spattering the ground as he ran forwards. Tucker moved, probably to chase after Danny, but was stopped by Maddie. She spoke quickly, motioning to the Speeder, and Tucker nodded. Maddie turned and addressed the remaining Ghostketeers, and everyone piled into the Speeder. The vehicles started up, lifting off the ground, than shot into the swirling green ectoplasm.

Jazz stopped the video.

“A ghost took Sam!” Jeremy Manson cried out.

“Those Fenton’s took my girl!” Henry fumed.

“They all went to get Danny, and probably Sam, too,” Jazz clarified. “That _is_ why Danny went in in the first place. He would never leave without Sam.”

“So what are we supposed to do? Just trust that a fifteen year old boy is going to save our daughter?” Pamela asked.

“No. You’re supposed to trust trained ghost hunters to save her.” Jazz crossed her arms and faced the Mansons. She was tired of them insulting her family.

“I will admit that Maddie is competent, but not while she has to keep Jack in check,” Pamela scoffed.

“Not just my parents. All of them. Except for maybe Star, they’ve _all_ been trained on how to fight ghosts. They know how to work our weapons, they know a little bit of hand-to-hand. Sam too.” Jazz and Pamela stared each other down, while Jackson stepped in between them.

“Is that true?” He asked Jazz.

“Yes. That’s what the Ghostketeers are for. My parents started it as a method of teaching students of Casper High how to properly defend themselves, if they wanted too.”

“Hmm. The police force isn’t equipped for a rescue in the Ghost Zone. For now, we will have to trust that they will be able to take care of themselves.”

“But my daughter-”

“Will not be left in there. I’ll ask the mayor to contact the GIW, and maybe some other ghost hunters, so that people with the proper training and knowledge can go after them.”

Henry looked like he wanted to protest more, as did the Mansons. But the Foleys and Stars sister seemed to agree.

“Jack may not seem like the best person to keep our kids safe, but I trust him. And I trust my son and his best friend,” Maurice said, and Angela gave a quick nod in agreement.

“I know Star isn’t equipped to take care of herself, but she’s smart, and the Fentons are certainly capable.”

Jazz smiled at Amber, Star’s older sister, in thanks. They were in the same grade, and while they weren’t friends, they spoke to each other often. Amber was one of the few people in Amit Park who hadn’t dismissed Jazz’s parents as crazy before ghosts were proven to be real.

“How long would it take for the GIW to arrive?” Jazz asked.

“If we act fast, they can be here in a few hours’ time,” Jackson estimated. The parents whispered hastily to each other, and everyone agreed.

“Good. I’ll head over to the mayor’s now,” Jackson nodded his farewell and left Fentonworks.

“Is what you said about your brother true?” Amber asked as the parents left as well.

“About what?”

“That he wouldn’t return until Sam was safe,” Amber clarified.

“Oh, yeah. I know my little brother, and there’s no way he would ever let anything bad happen to her.”

“So it’s true then, he really does love her?” Amber turned towards the computer, where the thumbnails of previous saved video files filled the screen.

“Since the day they met. But I honestly don’t think he realized it until rather recently.”

“So she probably knows a lot about him.”

“Yeah, they’re best friends.”

“Does she know about this?” Amber pointed to the computer screen.

“Huh?” Jazz turned and followed her finger. One of the frozen images on the screen was a picture of Danny. Jazz looked at it closely. Danny was standing tall, and there was a white ring around his shoulders, and round his knees. Outside the rings he looked as normal as ever, but inside his t-shirt and jeans were being replaced with a black jumpsuit, a familiar logo scrawled across his chest.

* * *

 

“Damn ghosts,” Valerie swore. Currently, she was zooming around Amity Park, hunting down various skeletal ghosts that had appeared earlier this morning. She _had_ been on her way to school, but these ghosts were dangerous, and she couldn’t just leave them flying around. Technically, she had yet to actually beat one of the strange black skeletons. Valerie would see one fly by, and immediately give chase, firing after it. Her shots mostly hit, but they didn’t seem to be doing any damage to the things. And after a while of cat and mouse (Valerie honestly wasn’t sure who was the cat, and who was the mouse) the ghost would simply disappear. She growled in frustration as her suit compacted down to the band on her wrist again, having lost sight of her most recent prey.

The sound of the bell for homeroom reached Val’s ears from two streets over.

 _How is that thing so loud?_ Valerie thought as she started running to school.

“I’m sorry I’m late, Mr. Lancer,” she gasped as she burst through the door to her classroom. There were a few giggles, and Valerie looked up to see that Lancer was not standing at the front of the class.

“Oh…” Valerie stood up and straightened her shirt, then went to sit down. She turned to talk to the person next to her, which turned out to be Nathan. Valerie cringed, but asked anyways. “Where’s Lancer?”

“Hey Valerie! And I don’t know. Haven’t seen him since the meeting last night,” Nathan answered enthusiastically. Valerie frowned. Everyone knew that Lancer loved his job. The only way that he would take a sick day is if Ishiyama forced him to, or he became hospitalized. Valerie’s eyes skimmed over her classmates, and she noticed more than a few empty seats.

“Where is everyone?” Valerie asked.

Nathan shrugged. “Again, no idea. No one’s seen ‘em. Although it isn’t strange for Danny to be late.”

“I think something bad happened,” Mikey, who was sitting in front of Nathan, added quickly. “I always go by Fentonworks on my way to school. There were a bunch of cars outside, a cop car too!”

They exchanged worried glances. The Fentons used to receive a lot of police visits because of neighbourly complaints, but since it became known that ghosts were real it had stopped. Yes, the ‘sounds’ of inventing, namely louds bangs and shouts, which echoed from Fentworks were annoying. But the results of those bands and shouts were usually the third line of defense in case of a ghost attack. First being Phantom, and second usually being the Red Huntress.

“What do you think happened?” Valerie asked, because if anyone could come up with decent theories, it would by Mikey. But before the skinny nerd could reply, Ishiyama entered the classroom.

“Children, since we have been unable to contact Mr. Lancer this morning, I will be subbing for his classes today,” Ishiyama said as she approached the front of the classroom. The students groaned. While Ishiyama seemed to be a cheerful and easygoing person, in the classroom she could be one of the strictest teachers you would ever know.

“This is going to be a long hour,” Nathan muttered, then he glanced at Valerie out of the corner of his eye. “It would also be the perfect time for you to agree to go to senior prom with me?”

“The answers still no,” Valerie said quickly. She felt a little guilty as she saw Nathan’s dejected expression, but she had made it very clear she wasn’t interested in the alien fanatic. He was the one who wouldn’t stop asked.

* * *

 

It was lunchtime when word went around that they were missing. Mr. Lancer, the infamous trio, and the A-listers. No one had seen them since the Ghostketeer meeting yesterday. As if drawn together by this one event, the Ghostketeers, plus a few of their friends, gathered around one table at lunch. This obviously resulted in them getting a few confused stares.

Seniors and freshmen?

Jocks and nerds?

Popular (former and otherwise) and losers?

All at one table?

The Ghostketeers hardly noticed. Nathan had seen Valerie sitting alone, and went to join her. The others had soon followed.

“So none of you saw them after the meeting?” Valerie asked the group at large.

“No way. I was the first one out of there,” Jason, a senior baseball jock, shook his head. “What about you guys?”

“I never wait around at those things, I’m mostly just there for the guns,” a girl with dyed blue hair and a Star Wars t-shirt scoffed. Valerie thought her name was Morgan, and that she was a year older.

“W-well, I kind of take my time leaving. I think that besides them, I was the last to go. And n-no one followed me out,” a quiet voice stammered. All eyes fell on a shy looking freshmen. He fidgeted with what looked like a smooth black stone hanging around his neck.

“Hey, uh…” Jason glanced around the table for help, but it turned out that no one knew the young boy’s name.

“Hayden,” the boy in question supplied.

“Hayden. No need to be so nervous, we ain’t gonna bite you,” Jason grinned.

“But you’re a senior! And a jock!” Hayden protested, as if that was reason enough for Jason to be mean to him. For some Casper High students, it was.

“Don’t be such a baby. If the mean jock _does_ decide to bite, then I’ll protect you,” the girl beside Hayden said. Her eyes darted around the table. “Erin. A fresh _wo_ man. Is that a problem?”

“Not at all,” Jason chuckled. The older kids smiled at the only two freshmen in the group. Their closeness reminded them of Danny and Sam. The girl, Erin, was even seemed a little like the Goth. If they were Danny and Sam, Danny would have been the one to offer protection, and Sam would have protested while blushing. A rather predictable exchange. But they weren’t, and Hayden simply gave a small nod at Erin’s statement.

“So you think they disappeared from the Fenton’s?” Morgan asked, bringing everyone back on topic.

“That’s where Mikey said he saw the cop car. I bet the other cars belonged to their parents,” Nathan confirmed.

“It’s gotta be ghost related,” Valerie said, partially on instinct. She may now know that not all ghosts are bad, and the grudgingly accepted that maybe, just _maybe_ , Phantom wasn’t completely to blame for her troubles. But it was hard to break habit, and Valerie’s habits dictated that anything that went wrong was because of ghosts.

“I guess so, that would make sense,” Jason agreed. Erin and Hayden, who didn’t know enough on the subject, stayed quiet, while Amber and Nathan voiced their own agreements.

“D-do you think we should do something?” Hayden asked meekly.

“There isn’t really a lot we _can_ do,” Jason said.

 _Well, maybe not you guys_ , Valerie smirked as she thought of her alter ego.

“But we have no idea what happened,” Nathan pointed out. Again, there were nods all around the table.

“Not that I really care, but anyone have any theories?” Amber asked, resting her elbows on the table. For a few minutes, the Ghostketeers talked quietly amongst themselves, but none of their theories came close to the truth. In fact, none of them even really involved the Ghost Zone. Their conversation was cut short by a loud blaring. At the same time, Valerie felt the bracelet on her wrist start to buzz.

“Ghosts,” Valerie said immediately and shot to her feet. The Ghostketeers followed while the rest of the student body paused, struggling to remember the purpose the alarm, then panicked when they remembered what it was for.

“All students please report to the auditorium,” Ishiyama’s voice blared over the intercom. The students flocked towards the doors, and the Ghostketeers were about to follow, when the noticed Valerie heading outside instead.

“Where are you going?” Nathan shouted.

Valerie stopped. “Um, bathroom?”

“Now? You sound kinda like Fenton,” Amber said. “What? Everyone knows about his lame excuses.”

“You’re going to fight them?” Jason asked.

Valerie sighed and nodded, which resulted in a rather high pitched “eep” from Hayden. “We’ve been trained, we know how to fight ghosts. Aren’t we kind of obligated to try?”

“But we’ve never actually fought them. Mr. and Mrs. Fenton hadn’t even started us on patrols yet!” Nathan protested.

“So what? I know how to shoot a gun, so I’m gonna do it. Come on, guys, look at them!” Valerie pointed to the mass of students gathered around the door. “They’re idiots. Someone’s gotta protect them.”

“Okay,” Jason nodded.

“You did mention guns,” Morgan grinned.

“You can’t be s-serious?” Hayden cried.

“They sort of are,” Nathan relented. “I guess I am to.”

“You’re all crazy,” Erin shook her head.

“Then don’t come with us. Go with everyone else to auditorium and protect them from there,” Valerie offered. The two freshmen gladly accepted and ran off.

“So, do you actually have a plan?” Jason glanced at Valerie.

“Grab some Fenton Foamers and start shooting?” It sounded more like a question then a statement.

“I’m okay with that,” Morgan ran off to the nearest glass case, the Fenton Foamers having been installed the same day as the shield and ecto-exodus alarm. The others followed, searching the halls for weapons, and started looking for the ghosts.

“Have you guys seen anything?” Valeria asked when they regrouped.

“Nothing at all, but the alarm is still going off,” Jason shook his head.

“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” Morgan sneered, then glanced behind them. “What if the ghosts are outside? I mean, this alarm is supposed to keep them out, right? Causes them pain if they’re too close?”

Everyone blinked at her.

“What? Okay, so I’m not just there for the guns, but whatever. We have ghosts to fight. Charge!” Morgan hoisted her gun in the air and ran for the doors. Nathan, Jason, and Valerie exchanged grins, then followed, although only Jason released his own war cry. Morgan kicked the doors open, and her scream died in her throat.

“Um, guys? I don’t think we’re going to be enough,” Morgan gulped. The other’s faltered, looking over her shoulder. Standing on the street in front of the school was a massive army of black skeletal ghosts, more phasing up through the ground.

“Auditorium?” Jason practically squeaked.

“Auditorium,” Valerie hastily agreed.


	20. Sable

Ember and Tucker followed closely behind Danny as they walked through the icy halls, worried that he might zone out again, whatever it was that he just did. They were partially right. Nothing would happen now, but Danny knew that, if they weren’t close by, he would have been pulled right back into his memories.

“Hey, dipstick, isn’t this the wrong way?” Ember asked, looking down the next hall they passed.

“Oh, is it?” Tucker’s eyes roamed across the walls and ceiling. It all looked the same to him.

“We aren’t going back to the hall. Frostbite will probably send someone to get the others, so we’re going to meet him in the war room,” Danny explained.

“Cool, there’s a war room?” Tucker grinned.

“Yeah. And it looks like everyone’s already here,” Danny said as he reached a large open door. There was a large table in the middle of the room, a large map of the Ghost Zone spread across it. Frostbite stood across the table, with Snowstorm and Dora beside him. The Ghostketeers were grouped together, but they no longer looked tense or wary in the presence of ghosts. At least most of them did. Maddie still looked a little cautious, but not visibly hateful at least. Danny moved to close the doors, but Frostbite’s voice stopped him.

“We are still waiting on one more person,” Frostbite called. Danny stopped and leaned back against the door while Tucker and Ember went to the table.

“Who are we waiting for?” Danny asked, going over the likely allies in his mind. Pandora was gone, Clockwork couldn’t interfere. There were his enemies turned sort of friends, like Johnny 13 and Kitty, Poindexter, and Youngblood. He couldn’t really picture them helping out, considering there’s nothing for them to gain from rescuing Sam. Unless they decided that Danny would owe them something afterwards, like Ember was saying. Although Danny suspected that Ember was only saying that.

“Someone like family,” Frostbite smiled, which only caused Danny’s frown to deepen. He considered all his allies to be his family. Dora and Ember were like his sisters, Youngblood his annoying younger brother, Johnny his infuriating older one. Clockwork, Pandora, and Frostbite were parental figures to him. Although Clockwork seemed more like the estranged uncle type.

“Danny!” Danny’s head whipped around in time to see a black and white blur flying towards him. It collided with his chest and forced him farther into the room.

“Danielle!” Danny shouted joyfully, hugging the girl close. Then he firmly grasped her shoulders and moved them so they were kneeling face to face. Danny quickly examined her, tilting Danielle’s head and inspecting her for wounds. “Are you okay? You didn’t get hurt at all when you were gone? I don’t remember you having that scar when I last saw you.”

“I’m fine, Da-Danny,” Danielle stammered, spying the humans just barely within sight. “I was in Brazil, and I kinda fell out of a tree and didn’t think about going intangible, but it’s all healed!”

“So you’re fine?”

“Uh-huh,” Danielle smiled.

“Good. So why didn’t you contact me? And you were supposed to tell me as soon as you got here, I was really worried,” Danny fussed over Danielle a little bit more.

“Well, I kind of got caught up exploring and all, but I really missed you! And that was sort of my idea. I wanted to surprise you,” Danielle now looked a little guilty and slumped in Danny’s hands. “Surprise?”

Danny looked her over once more, then his face splint into a wide grin. “I’m glad you’re finally back.”

Danielle’s face brightened, and when they stood, she grabbed Danny’s arm. Her own personally way to request being picked up. Danny complied, holding her with one arm against his hip. Danielle may have had the body of a small twelve-year-old, and she may have been relatively smart, but she was technically still only a few months old, and mentally she was no different from a little kid. Danny wasn’t totally sure how little, but it was enough for her to eagerly desire being picked up by her dad. Not that Danny didn’t mind.

“It’s the ghost girl!” Jack exclaimed, and Danny instantly found himself turning so that Danielle was safely hidden behind his body.

“What about Danielle?” Danny asked. His voice was low and quiet, and sounded somewhat threatening.

“She’s just like the ghost boy,” Jack continued, grinning.

“Yeah, yeah she is. What about it?” Danny’s eyes narrowed, and now there was no mistaking the threatening tone in his voice.

“I didn’t know ghost could be so similar,” Jack elaborated, and Danny relaxed a little. It didn’t actually sound like he wanted to experiment on her. A fact that surprised Danny greatly. His eyes slid to his mother, and he didn’t like the look he saw there.

“You won’t touch Danielle,” Danny growled, and Maddie blinked.

“Danny, you will not take that tone with me,” Maddie said.

“And you will not touch Danielle,” Danny repeated. He walked to the other side of the table where Tucker and Ember were.

“Hi, Ember! Are you gonna start my lessons now that I’m back?” Danielle asked eagerly.

“Totally, kid,” Ember grinned in return.

“Are you Tucker?” Dani pointed to the techno-geek, who nodded. “Yay! Oh, if Uncle Tuck is here, then that must mean that-”

“Not at the moment,” Danny cut Danielle off. He was quiet again, and for a moment his eyes flashed. But not their usual green. They flashed red.

“But that’s what we’re here for. Frostbite, do you have any plans?” Danny turned to the yeti king.

“Of course, Great One. We have thought of various strategies that can put us at an advantage,” Frostbite started. While he spoke, Tucker started whispering to Danny.

“So she knows who I am?” Tucker glanced at Danielle.

“Yep.”

“I’m guessing you told her about me, and probably Sam?”

“Yep.”

“Is there any ghost you haven’t told us about?”

“Hmm, not really,” Danielle answered before Danny could.

“Hey, that’s not true!” Danny gasped.

“Oh yeah? How about that time you were talking to Johnny? ‘She’s my best friend, so I don’t know. Maybe I should tell her. How did you and Kitty meet? Do you think you could give me some advice?’” Danielle blinked innocently while Danny turned a furious shade of red.

“I did not ask him that!” Ember and Tucker started chuckling.

“Uh-huh, you did.”

“No way.”

“Loads of times.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes!”

“No!”

“Great One?” Danny and Dani looked at Frostbite at the same time.

“Yeah?” The father and daughter chorused.

“If we could focus on the plans?”

“Um, right, yeah. Sorry,” Danny ducked his head and Danielle grinned.

Frostbite grinned as Danielle his ‘yes’ in Danny’s ear one last time. 

* * *

**Having fun yet?**

“Not really. It’s actually kind of boring,” Sam sighed, squeezing back tears of pain.

**Boring?**

“Yeah. You just keep doing the same thing over and over,” she nodded sluggishly. It was so hard to stay awake. While the cuts along her body weren’t too deep, there were enough of them that she’d lost a decent amount of blood. Sam couldn’t help but flinch when the ghosts’ claw rested against her collar bone. Sam stared defiantly up at him, although it was somewhat ineffective when she was struggling to keep her eyes open. Danny would rescue her. Danny would be here soon

**Oh, I don’t know. I always think that, if you do something enough times, you start to enjoy it.**

He dragged the claw lightly across her skin, and Sam hissed as her pale skin split open and bright red blood started to gather in the new cut.

**So, are you enjoying it yet?**

* * *

 

Danny was actually quite adept at horseback riding, much to the surprise of the Ghostketeers. Dora had insisted she teach him the skill not long after they became friends, and he had picked it up fairly quickly. The horse he was riding was pale blue, with pitch black eyes, and a dark main. It had an ice core, just like him. The situation would be a little problematic if it were otherwise.

He was riding a good fifty yards ahead of the fixed Speeder, and just behind the Speeder was a fair number of yetis. But for all appearances, Danny was alone. Dora and Ember had turned the Speeder, and everyone inside of it, invisible, and the yetis behind them had done the same.

Danny briefly cast out his sense, making sure they were still following him, and no other ghosts were approaching. They had a simple strategy, considering they didn’t know what they were going into. They had recruited the stronger yetis, the ones that could conceal their ghostly energies, in case there were any ghosts with a sense like Danny’s when they got there. Danny would leave the doors open when he entered, something not entirely strange, since the doors were usually open. The yetis would follow him, concealed, at a distance, while the Speeder remained outside, Tucker at the controls. Danny didn’t trust his parents not to barge in before the right time. He and Tucker could communicate through the Fenton Phones, and once Danny gave the signal Tucker would fly through the castle to Danny’s location, and they would quickly retrieve Sam.

That was another reason Danny wanted Tucker on the wheel. Not the retrieving Sam part, but flying through the castle. Sable wasn’t like the rest of the Ghost Zone. Humans and real world items couldn’t just pass through every wall and floor, only specific ones. Danny trusted Tucker to remember this route better than his parents would. They also might not have been able to resist the urge to explore, something Danny definitely didn’t want.

When Sable was in sight, Danny stopped, reigning in Bellefire. He remained sitting on his mount, looking down at the gothic castle. It was made of a black stone that shone in the eerie green light of the Ghost Zone. Torches of blue fire flickered beside the massive silver doors, casting their pale glow against the walls. From his vantage point, Danny could just see the courtyard in the middle of the castle. There, dark ivy crept along the walls, and a massive willow grew in the middle of a meandering gravel path. He wasn't close enough to make them out, but Danny knew that growing among the roots of the Willow were dark purple and blue flowers. Danny continued to stare into the garden as he waited for the others to catch up. 

* * *

Star was turning the lipstick blaster over in her hands. Maddie had decided that she shouldn't have any of the bigger guns, since she didn't know how to use them, but she should have something. Just in case she ended up outside the Speeder. That was one of the fundamental parts of the plan. The humans were not to leave the Speeder. For the moment, Ember and that princess ghost were with them, but they would soon be joining the yetis outside. Star's hands stilled.

"How did I get into this?" She asked herself. She hadn't wanted to join the Ghostketeers in the first place, but now here she was, following them into what may turn out to be their second ghost fight. It was because of this that she had listened closely during the strategy meeting, and there was one thing she had noticed that interested her greatly. While Frostbite and Princess Dorathea had done most of the talking, they had often looked to Danny and receive either a short nod, or the barest shake of his head. And when it came to the layout of Sable, Danny was the only one to speak. Star had waited patiently throughout the meeting, and as soon as it was done she had pulled Danny to the corner of the room, throwing a dark glare at anyone who moved to follow. Danny had helplessly shrugged at his friends and complied to Star's not quite request.

"So who's Danielle?" Star asked. It hadn't been easy to separate the pair.

"What?"

"Danielle. Who is she to you?"

"She's m- she's Phantom's daughter," Danny respond quickly. Star didn't miss the way he stumbled over his words, and she smirked, now one hundred percent sure of her theory.

"Okay, whatever," Star had flipped her hair over her shoulder and sauntered back to the other A-listers, but the smirk remained on her face. She wasn't smirking now. She believed wholeheartedly that she was right, which meant she owed Fenton one serious apology.

Star's hand closed around the blaster, and her face set in a determine scowl. Once this was all done, she would confront Danny. 

* * *

 

"Tucker, it would be best if I took control. I built the Speeder, I can fly it a little better," Maddie cringed as the Speeder jerked away from a purple door.

"Um, it's okay, Mrs. F. I think I've got it down. And Danny and Frostbite said they wanted me driving," Tucker responded, not taking his eyes off the Ghost Zone.

"Danny is just a boy, he can't make a decision like that, and Frostbite is-"

"A ghost? He also saved Danny's life. Danny trusts him, and I trust Danny. You should to."

"I trust my son, but this is just... He knows all these ghosts, talks to them all the time, lives with them! It isn't normal," Maddie shook her head.

"Well, Danny isn't normal. Never has been," Tucker shrugged, and silently added _especially now_.

“What do you mean?” Maddie raised an eyebrow as she looked down at Tucker.

“I mean, Danny’s super smart, right? That’s not normal. He doesn’t show it, but I remember him being smart when we were younger. But then, some things happened,” Tucker tilted his head a little in the direction he knew Dash was, “and Danny simply stopped broadcasting it. Don’t even get me started on the German. And Latin too, I guess.”

“Latin?” Maddie was now genuinely curious, momentarily forgetting the reason she had first started talking to Tucker.

“Oh, yeah! I guess you guys didn’t know either. Last week in English class, Danny was writing a bunch of Latin on this paper in his notebook. Lancer was super impressed.”

Maddie stood up straight and briefly looked at the overweight teacher.

“The German I knew about. But no, not the Latin. Jack, did you know Danny could speak Latin?” Maddie turned to her husband.

“No, but that’s great! I always knew Danny-o was a smart boy,” Jack grinned. Maddie nodded slowly. Danny and smart were honestly not two words she thought about together, and she realized something. She wasn’t a good mother. When Danny was younger, they frequently forgotten his birthday because of work. She hadn’t even known that Danny was fighting ghosts, and obviously getting hurt. Her son’s numerous scars rose in her mind, and Maddie swallowed guiltily. There were a few that looked like they could have killed Danny. She hadn’t mentioned it at the time, too stunned by its presence, but when treating Danny’s chest in the carriage Maddie had seen a scar on his throat. That wasn’t everything. When Danny had his accident, she and Jack had easily accepted Danny’s explanation, and didn’t think anything of his dramatic change in behaviour. How he suddenly became distant and secretive, coming home with the occasional bruise Maddie took to be the result of bullying (although now she knew better), his increasing tardiness and absences at school, coming home past curfew, all the sick days, and the failing grades. It was at that point she had stopped using Danny and smart in the same sentence.

Maddie looked at her husband again. He apparently never stopped thinking of Danny as smart, maybe seeing a little bit of himself in their son. Maddie remember how Jack had never had the best grades, but he was a genius in his own way. She was glad that at least one of them had still believed in Danny. Jack had also accepted Danny’s relationship with ghosts surprisingly easily.

Now Maddie turned to said ghosts. Dora and Ember, the ghosts that Danny treated like sisters. The ghost girl, Danielle, had been left at the frozen kingdom at Danny’s insistence. There was something about the way he treated her, being so protective, almost paternal towards her. Maddie smiled, glad that her son could care about someone so much. Enough to threaten her to protect them. She looked back out the window, now content with letting Tucker drive, and decided that she would have to apologize to Danny once all this was done, and Sam was safe. 

* * *

Lancer found his current situation to be very similar to the one in the carriage. He was, once again, dwelling on the subject of the boy that had always been his worse student. During the meeting, Danny was focused and confident, his suggestions logical, and his opinions sought. The confidence had been interesting to see. It was a look that Lancer was not used to seeing on Danny’s face, but for some reason it seemed to settle there so perfectly. And he had accepted it. It was for this reason that Lancer decided to cast away all prior opinions of the boy, and instead focus on what he had learned during their little adventure so far.

His ease while being wounded, the closeness with ghosts, specifically Phantom’s daughter. The confidence. The smarts. His protective nature. His confidence. An easy grin Lancer could have sworn he had never seen before, but was surprisingly familiar with.

Not to mention the green eyes. Green eyes… Lancer thought back on the meeting between the Fenton’s that he had called, when they first saw the green eyes. Daniel had said something. He was ranting about Phantom and his parent’s unjustified feelings towards the ghost boy. Lancer’s eyebrows knit together as he thought.

He had just solved one thing (Lancer had finally translated the Latin sentence that had been bugging him earlier), and now he had something else to think on. He tapped a finger against his knee, frowning all the while, and let out a frustrated sigh.

 _Maybe I should get more clues, if I can get Daniel to talk to me_ … Lancer froze, then looked at the figure outside the figure, now stopped, mounted on a blue mare.

 _‘Me.’_  

* * *

Danny took a deep breath and spoke into what appeared to be empty air.

“Are we all set?” He asked, lips barely moving.

 _“All good in here,”_ Tucker replied over the Fenton Phones.

“We are ready,” Frostbite echoed from somewhere to Danny’s right. The halfa gave a small nod, and swung his leg over Bellfire’s side. For a moment he stood there, one foot in a stirrup, hands gripping the saddle, and gaze cast down to the courtyard that was so close, yet seemed so far. Once more, Danny breathed in deeply, then jumped from his mount. The fall was considerably far to the ground before the gates of Sable, but it was hardly the highest Danny had fallen from. He had hardly thought of the humans watching him when making his impromptu dismount, and the muffled gasps that came through the Fenton Phones reminded Danny of them as he rose from his landing crouch. He chuckled a little, then approached the massive doors.

His hand had barely rested against the cool metal when they swung open with little resistance. Tendrils of pleasantly warm air flowed from the open doorway and seemed to curl around Danny’s outstretched arm, beckoning him inside. Like the door, Danny did not resist. He focused on his core, gathering as much power as he could without actually transforming or agitating the damaged areas. Sable recognized Danny for who he was immediately, and when his foot fell on the white marble floor, and icy mist flared around his feet, and every time he lifted his foot, a frosty print was left behind. As Danny walked through the halls, the temperature dropped. The ice that had found eternal home among the cracks in the brick walls began to spread, creeping out onto the stone. Danny’s feet carried him straight to the throne room across from the main doors. Marble floor gave way to black and white tiles and the room opened into a massive space, pillars standing from floor to ceiling, with the same blue torches seen outside lining the way to the throne.

Floating before the throne was a robed figure, no doubt the ghost Danny had arrived to confront. Although Danny couldn’t see it, under the hood the ghost was smiling, and it floated to the side to reveal Sam, bound and gagged, numerous cuts running across her arms and legs, sitting on the throne. Danny’s eyes narrowed as two more figures stepped from the shadows behind the ornate chair. The halfa wasn’t surprised to see the Fright Night, who had a tendency to attach himself to the biggest, baddest ghost he could find. The other figure, however, Danny was a little surprised to see, and the air around the halfa turned frosty as he took in the spiked hair, blue skin, red eyes, and distinct fangs.

“Plasmius,” Danny spat.

“It’s a pleasure for you to join us, Little Badger.”


	21. Pain of Death

“I should have known it would be you behind this. There’s no way you would ask for my help without ulterior motives,” Danny scowled, his eyes now glowing green despite how much energy he was using restraining his ghostly self.

“’Ulterior’ Daniel? Such big words. But I’m afraid you’re wrong again. I am but a humble servant in this plot.” Danny hated the way Plasmius grinned as he said that.

“There’s no way _you_ would bow down to anyone,” Danny frowned.

“Only to someone truly worthy, Daniel,” Vlad tilted his head towards the cloaked figure, who Danny had at this point assumed was nothing short of a pawn in Vlad’s little game. He was apparently mistaken. The ghost in question was sitting on the armrest of the throne, a casual arm draped around Sam’s shoulders. Danny stepped forwards, his eyes flaring red again, and suddenly the ghost was no longer sitting, but standing with Sam’s neck firmly in his grip, her feet hanging above the ground.

**I would step back if I were you, boy.**

Danny reluctantly obeyed, pulling back.

**An obedient boy, excellent. This will make things so much easier.**

The ghost moved again and almost casually slipped off the hood and opened the cloak. It revealed a hunched figure with large muscles, pale red skin and fiery orange eyes. A mane of grey fire spread from the ghost’s head to a thin line down his back, and long talons could be seen instead of fingers or toes. His face was elongated into a sort of muzzle filled with sharp teeth. Beneath the cloak was dark blue, almost black, armour, but it didn’t covered his body entirely.

 **You, boy, are a very powerful ghost, and would it would be most appreciated if you would join me on my conquest.** The ghosts muzzle opened, but hardly moved as that voice resonated around the room. **As a show of good faith, I will even return this girl to you.**

He raised Sam a little higher and Danny once again stepped forwards. **Be quick, boy.** The ghost drew his arm back, and Danny ran forwards to catch Sam as she was thrown. He lunged forwards and twisted in the air so that Sam would fall on top of him.

“ _Samantha_ ,” Danny hissed quietly into the Fenton Phones, looked as if he was merely whispering Sam’s name, and not signalling to Tucker outside. He looked over her wounds. None of them appeared to be overly serious, but then again, Danny wasn’t really able to tell what constituted a serious wound anymore. But that didn’t matter. Sam may have been alive, but she was hurt, and he hadn’t been able to reach her in time. His eyes dragged painfully slowly across Sam’s body, taking in the angry red lines on her porcelain skin.

He hadn’t been fast enough, not good enough. Sam was hurt, _no, she’s okay_ but she’s bleeding _but she’s breathing_ but Danny failed. _I failed, I broke my promise, she’s not okay, she_ not _okay._

Suddenly Sam was being ripped from his arms, and Danny cried out, reaching for the Goth and clutching his aching chest, but stopped at the sight of dark-skinned hands. Tucker was pulling Sam into the Specter Speeder. Danny took a deep, rattling breath, then stood and faced the ghost that was the cause of all this.

**So, boy, what is your answer?**

“No, obviously. You hurt my friend, no, my _girl_ friend, and you’ve been sending ghosts to attack me, and you’ve taken some of my allies. I may not know who you are, or what it is you want exactly, but I will not join you, and I will stop you!” Danny shouted. To his surprise, the ghost chuckled.

**Good. It wouldn’t have been any fun if you put up no resistance, and it pleases me to know that my wraiths have been treating you well. As for your questions, boy, my name is Kraeva, and I have returned from my banishment to take what is rightfully mine.**

“And what is that?” Danny asked, praying that Frostbite and the other ghosts would be moving into position.

**The world, and now your head on a platter.**

“This wouldn’t be the first time someone’s tried to do that,” Danny laughed.

**Of course. Pariah Dark, the pathetic fool. Not even worth the effort of banishment, I heard. A lot has changed in the thousand years I’ve been gone, but it’s good to know some ghosts have remained as foolish as ever.**

Kraeva gave a short wave of his hand, and suddenly the ghosts that had been gathering in the room around them became visible and, ironically, frozen in place. It would seem that the Speeder was unable to move as well. Wraiths stepped through the walls of the room, something that should be impossible for any ghost to do.

 **I think I’ll let you all live, for now. It would be too easy to kill you off while here, and I would like for you to see the little surprise I left for you back home. There’s just one thing to do before we go…** Kraeva chuckeld darkly and turned to Plasmius, who nodded.

“Skulker, you can do it now,” Plasmuis spoke clearly. Danny whipped around, expecting to see the newest of Skulker’s suits behind him, having snuck up unnoticed. But there was nothing. Just the Speeder. Before Danny could turn back and question Plasmuis’ command, a very familiar pain spread through his being.

The pain of electrocution.

The pain of death.

His muscles contracted as the electricity travelled through his being, and Danny dropped to the floor. The searing heat, the smell of burning flesh, the loud scream that tore at his throat and made it bleed. This was how Danny had died. His heart was racing, and his chest felt like it was going to burst. He couldn’t stop the scream that was ripped from his lungs, just like the day of the accident. He couldn’t stop the bright white rings from forming around his chest, just like the day of the accident. There was nothing Danny could do to halt his change from Fenton into Phantom. Just like the day of the accident. Only this time, there was a bus full of Ghostketeers to watch.


	22. Obsession Mentality

Danny was roused by the smell of burning flesh for the second time in his half-life, and he groaned as he shifted on the cold tiles. He forced himself up onto his hands and knees, struggling to remember what had happened. Kraeva, Sam was safe, Vlad was definitely still his enemy. And there was something about Skulker. Danny’s hand slipped against a white tile, which was slick with blood, and he remembered. The sudden flare of pain, the crackling energy. He had been electrocuted. And not like the small shocks Walker liked to give him any time he could get his hands on Danny, but a massive burst of electricity. Enough to kill him, or finish killing him. It was then that Danny noticed his hand was not just his hand, but covered by a white glove.

“Oh, Clockwork, no,” Danny hissed, eyes wide. He struggled to sit back in his heels and glanced down at his body. Black and white jumpsuit, white hair, probably neon green eyes. He panicked for a moment. Was he really, truly dead now? He closed his fist around the red stain on his palm, and focused on forcing his ghost core down. It work, and Danny slumped in relief when he was able to change back into Fenton.

Then he remembered where he was, what he had been doing, and who had been watching. Danny shot to his feet, stumbling as he did so, and whipped around to face the throne. Kraeva, Vlad, and the Fright Night were gone. The yetis, Frostbite included, were gone as well. Only Danny, the Speeder (with all its passengers), Dora, and Ember were in the room.

“Danny!”

“Dipstick!”

Ember and Dora ran forwards, the ghostly princess casting off all formalities in place of worry for her brother, and grabbed him before he could fall back to the floor.

“Wha’s a matter?” Danny slurred, feeling the quick burst of adrenaline leaving his body.

“You, uh, kind of just experienced your death all over again,” Ember explained quickly.

“Sounds fun,” Danny muttered.

“You’re the one who did it, you tell me,” Ember and Dora started to walk Danny over to the Speeder. No one inside had moved yet, most of them too stunned by what had just been revealed to them to do anything.

“Oh…” Danny hummed idly, as if he were deep in thought. “It’s not very fun.”

As they reached the Speeder, Danny pushed his hand out to brace himself against the vehicle, and a spark of electricity jumped between his palm and the metal. The people inside the vehicle yelped as the lights suddenly flickered.

“Uh, maybe you shouldn’t touch anything,” Tucker stammered when the two ghosts carefully guided Danny inside.

“Maybe,” Danny nodded sluggishly, and stumbled as he entered. Jack immediately reached out to steady his son, who was swaying precariously, head rolling around on his shoulders.

“They all saw, didn’t they?” Danny asked, his question directed at Tucker.

“Yeah, dude, they kind of did,” Tucker confirmed.

Danny nodded, then turned pleading eyes on his parents. “Please don’t hate me, and please don’t experiment on me. Pleasedontripmeapartmoleculebymolecule. Donthateme, donthurtme, donthateme, donthureme. Donthatemedonthurtmedonthatemedonthurtme-”

Jack’s eyes widened as Danny descended into a state of panic. He looked to Maddie, unsure of what to do, but his wife was still recovering from the shock of their discovery. It was one word spoken from by a soft voice that stopped the halfa’s rant.

“Danny,” Sam breathed. Danny’s mouth immediately snapped shut, there was a bright flash, and suddenly he was kneeling in front of Sam, hands hovering mere millimetres from her shoulder.

“I-I-I failed you, Sammy. And it hurts, it really hurts. My core, it won’t stop aching, it feels like it’s breaking apart. I wasn’t supposed to fail. I’m the _hero_ , I keep everyone safe, keep everyone from getting hurt. But now _you’re_ hurt, and Frostbite’s gone and Pandora’s done and Clockwork can’t help and Kraeva’s too strong and… and… it hurts so much,” Danny’s chin dropped to his chest and Sam quickly pulled him close.

“Danny, I’m fine. And not like you fine, I’m actually fine. A little bruised and worse for wear, but I’m actually _okay_ ,” Sam spoke into Danny’s ear as he pressed his cheek against her neck.

“But they’re going to hate me, and call me freak, and test their new weapons on me,” Danny rambled, his head shaking from side to side.

Sam looked around the Speeder, taking careful note of everyone present. Everyone, except for Star and Lancer, sat with mouths agape, shock and guilt apparent on their faces. Lancer and Star just looked really sad.

“They won’t, Danny. They really won’t,” Sam reassured him. Danny simply continued to shake his head, and the Goth carefully pushed Danny up and guided him onto one of the Speeder’s seats, careful to keep him from touching any exposed metal parts. Which was extremely hard in a vehicle comprised 90% of metal. She guided Danny’ head back down onto her shoulder and soon the halfa was asleep.

“Tucker, take us to… uh…” Sam looked around helplessly. She had no idea where they were, besides the Ghost Zone, and didn’t know any places that they could safely go.

“My castle. You can rest there, and return to your realm as soon as you are able,” Dora offered, sitting down next to Sam. Tucker nodded and started up the Speeder, forced to navigate his way through Sable’s wide halls since Dora and Ember couldn’t phase through the specified walls like everyone else. They spent the next few minutes in silence, and it was only when they had finally returned to the open air of the Ghost Zone that someone spoke.

“It really does make a lot of sense,” Lancer said suddenly, startling everyone out of their own thoughts. His eyes remained trained on Danny. “The tardiness, constantly missing school, turning in unfinished homework. He would always disappear in the middle of class, and an hour later you’d hear on the news about how Danny Phantom had just defeated another one of his ghostly foes. Phantom, Fenton. It’s not really even very creative.”

“I find that offensive,” Danny muttered, and Lancer jumped. Everyone had been so sure he was asleep. After several seconds of silence, they were proven right.

“Sir Phantom has extremely sensitive hearing,” Dora stated, as if that explained everything.

“The portal,” Maddie abruptly sat up straight and looked at Jack. “Danny’s accident, with the portal, the day that he fixed it.”

Jack’s eyes widened as understanding, and horror, dawned on his face. “Phantom appeared not too long after.”

“And… and we’ve been _hunting_ him,” Maddie gasped, and started sobbing. “Every morning, I’d tell Danny my plans for what we would do when we eventually caught the ghost boy! How could we never even notice? The way our weapons trained on him, all the reclusive behaviour, hardly ever seeing him except when he returned home at night…”

“It’s all a matter of perspective,” Star spoke up. “You’re his parents, you’re too close to him. Manson and Foley, I doubt you guys ever figured it out.”

Sam and Tucker shook their heads in skewed unison.

“You cared too much, and overestimated what you knew. Until Masters, or Plasmius, or whatever you want to call him, ghosts were ghosts. They couldn’t also be alive, and humans couldn’t also be dead.”

“So, he is dead?” Kwan asked.

“No!” Sam snapped. “Well, not technically. I mean, he’s more dead than we are, but… he’s more alive than they are?”

Sam was once again at a loss.

“How did it happen?” Kwan asked.

“It wasn’t actually that different from what you just saw,” Ember started, only to be scolded by Dora.

“Ember, it is not our place to tell!”

“Dorathea, you know how the dipstick is. It’ll make things a little easier when he wakes up,” Ember stated. Dora frowned, but didn’t stop Ember as she continued. “We can’t give you all the gory details, only Sparky here can do that, but he died by electrocution.”

“Sparky? That’s actually a really mean name,” Tucker interrupted.

“Oh, sure, I can’t call the ‘Great One’ Sparky, but it’s a riot if he calls me Pyre,” Ember huffed.

“Your name is already a bit of a tell,” Dora pointed out.

“It was my nickname before I died! Those bitches were the ones who thought the fire would be funny,” Ember seethed, her flaming blue ponytail flaring up. Then she blinked and met the stare of everyone in the Speeder.

“Ask, and even dipstick won’t be able to stop me from playing you into oblivion,” Ember hissed. Several heads quickly bobbed up and down, and silence fell once again, leaving everyone to their thoughts, four people in particular. 

* * *

Paulina and Dash had yet to move after discovering Danny’ secret, both of them lost in a whirlwind of emotions.

 _Fenturd is Phanturd? Fenton is my hero? There’s no way, I won’t believe it! Phantom is cool, and strong, although I guess Fenton is strong too, I’ve seen his muscles. But Phantom saves people all the time, he doesn’t run away from ghosts. But Fenton runs away_ before _the ghosts arrive, and he did all this just to save that Goth chick. But Phantom is a hero, and Fenton is a loser!_ Dash’s thoughts bounced back and forth. Fenton couldn’t be Phantom, but he had proof, he had _seen_ it, but Fenton was a nobody. It just didn’t make any sense. He could have been popular if he told people, he could have gotten Dash back for every time the jock had beaten up him up, or stuck him on top of the flag pole.

It just didn’t make sense.

 _Does this mean that I’m in love with Fenton? He_ had _been totally in love with me, the stupid Goth girl is probably just a distraction so he doesn’t have to think about me rejecting him all the time. Wait, does that mean that I’ve been rejecting my true love, future husband? No! But I don’t love Fenton, I love_ Phantom _. Although, Danny has gotten kind of handsome, and he’s tall, and muscular. And he’s totally in love with me! But I don’t love him, do I?_ Paulina was lost in a torrent of conflicting emotions, over her desire for Phantom, and her dislike of Fenton.

She just couldn’t be in love with him, could she? 

* * *

Jack and Maddie were lost in their own world of woes, but several things remained constant in their minds. They were bad parents, not to have noticed. They threatened their son on a daily basis and didn’t even know it. How could they not have realized he was half-dead, with his low body temperature, slow pulse, and decreased breathing, for a year? Would they have even known, had he not accidentally (and they knew Danny hadn’t meant to do it) transformed in front of them? Unlikely.

_I wonder how it happened. I didn’t think there could be any scientific basis for this, but after Vladdie… they’re accidents are actually very similar._

_Am I truly this bad of a mother? No wonder Danny doesn’t trust me, or want to spend time with me anymore. When we went to the Dalv convention, I made him where that belt. Did it hurt him? How did I not notice?_

They sat close together, faces pale, tears streaming down Maddie’s face, and the threat of them glistening in Jack’s eyes.

* * *

“Why was Danny acting so… out of it?” Tucker asked, glancing over his shoulder, but respectfully keeping his eyes of the distraught parents. Dora gave Ember a warning glare before the rock star could start speaking.

“What? We aren’t his therapists, there’s no doctor-patient confidentiality, and do you really think Sparky would actually tell them himself?”

“He might,” Dora said defensively.

“No, he won’t, and you know it. We wouldn’t know if he hadn’t been forced to tell us, we wouldn’t be… friends, either,” Ember seemed to struggle with calling Dora a friend, and the princess gave her a small smile. Ember took this as permission to continue, not that she wouldn’t have anyways.

“A ghost’s death can be a really sensitive topic, and how we die can be the start of a major fear, usually tied to the specific pain felt during death. But, ghosts also can’t really get hurt. Okay, that’s not quite true. We can get hurt, but we can’t really feel it that much. So, being dead, we can ‘live’ with the knowledge that we will _never_ have to experience pain like that again. Babypop is a little different, he’s not dead. Well, not completely. So, reliving that pain as a total possibility for him. He’s sort of already not okay, mentally. Has a lot of panic attacks. And it doesn’t help that his obsession is kind of a hard one to satisfy.”

“How is that?” Sam asked, running fingers through Danny’s raven locks.

“Sir Phantom’s obsession is saving people, acts of heroism, keeping specific people from getting hurt,” Dora gave Sam a pointed look. “If a ghost fails in their obsession, they become unstable. Failing for Sir Phantom can be going a length of time without saving people, or not being able to prevent someone from being hurt. You would think that, with all the ghosts Sir Phantom fights, his obsession would be overly satisfied, but ironically enough, people are often not in danger during those fights because Daniel is there. He has to physically save them from a dangerous situation, stopping the situation from arising simply isn’t enough. But letting that situation happen also goes against his obsession. It is a complicated situation, and has caused a number of problems for Daniel,” Dora finished the explanation.

“What kind of problems?” Lancer asked. Ember and Dora shared a look before continuing.

“It’s usually just the panic attacks, and how he was just acting, although it’s not usually that bad. The electrocution would have made it worse, there’s also-” Ember suddenly snapped her mouth shut.

“And what?” The Ghostketeers were surprised when Dora asked this. Apparently Ember knew something that the princess didn’t.

“I can’t tell you, it’s the one thing I won’t tell you. I swore on my name,” Ember gave Dora a challenging look, and the princess immediately backed down. Ember’s name was an important part of her obsession. For her to have sworn on it, it would have to be a big deal.

“I’m gonna go get the pipsqueak, she doesn’t know we aren’t heading back to the Far Frozen. See you guys at the castle,” Ember phased through the floor of the Speeder, and a blue blur could be seen flying away in the direction of the frozen land.

* * *

When the ghosts attacked, Jazz and Amber were still in the Fentonworks lab, going through as many security tapes as they could, as if seeing Danny Fenton turn into Danny Phantom the first time must have been some fluke. The cursor on the screen was hovering over the icon for the video the day of Danny’s accident. Jazz had explained to Amber what little she knew about the event, and now they were deciding whether they wanted to see what really happened, or not.

Oddly enough, the ghosts didn’t come through the Fenton Portal. In fact, the girls doubted they would have found out about the invasion for several hours, if it weren’t for the sudden scream that came from outside, followed by Fenonworks’ own ecto-exodus alarm going off. They quickly slapped their hands over their ears, abandoning the computer, and ran upstairs. Jazz threw open the front door to see wraiths swarming the streets and people screaming and running from their blades.

Thinking quickly, Jazz whipped aside a curtain on the wall and smashed her fist against a large button. A familiar feminine voice echoed throughout Fenton Works.

 _“Fenton Works Anti-Creep Mode activated!”_ The Fentons had redone the anti-creep mode after the invasion of Pariah Dark, and the defensives mechanisms that sprung from the walls inside the house now also emerged from the ground in front of Fenton Works. Metal arms lashed out at the wraiths and anti-ecto missiles streaked through the streets.

Amber stared at the door as she watched all this happen, and hardly even noticed Jazz running back down to the lab. When she returned, she was wearing a navy jumpsuit that had been made for her once she expressed an interest in ghosts. Several weapons were strapped to the belt around her waist. She pulled up her hood and goggles, hefting a Fenton Foamer. Luckily, Anti-Creep Mode no longer target ecto weaponry.

“Amber, get people to come inside,” Jazz said quickly. As she stepped out of Fenton Works, the ghost shield activated, and the wraiths that had been approaching the house stopped abruptly. Amber stood for several seconds in stunned silence as Jazz ran into the street, yelling and firing the Fenton Foamer. She shook her head and got her bearings, then followed Jazz’s instructions.

“Everyone get inside!” Amber yelled, running down the steps, but staying just within the ghost shield. There was no way she’d be stepping outside of the safety of the green barrier.

Jazz, meanwhile, felt no qualms about being out in the open. She charged through the crowds of wraiths, gun in her hands spewing green foam. The wraiths shrieked when he were hit and disappeared into the ground. It was chaos. Jazz hardly thought about what she was doing, she just did it. Fire at a group of wraiths, kick one that was getting too close, pull someone out of the path of a blade. At some point she had picked up a small child and was now passing him off to whoever was closest, pushing both towards Fenton Works. Jazz spun around, ready to fire again, but faltered when she saw that the wraiths all stood facing her, making no movements. It would appear that, any human that had been running in fear was now safely tucked away in Fenton Works, or hiding out in their own homes. In an eerie act of unison, the wraiths stepped aside, opening up a path to the green shield. The gun in Jazz’s hands dipped, and she hesitated a moment, then ran through the opening and dove through the shield next to Amber.

The ghosts had let her live, and she didn’t know why. In fact, looking over all the people taking refuge inside the shield, it looked like they hadn’t actually hurt anyone. A few people seemed to be battered and bruised, but no one was bleeding.

“We should all get inside,” Jazz instructed, pulling back her hood. She rose from the ground and waited until everyone had passed through the doors before following them.

* * *

“An _army_ of _skeletal_ ghosts?” Ishiyama blinked at the four students standing in front of her, comfortably holding the Fentons’ weapons in their arms. They nodded.

“It’s kind of like Pariah Dark, isn’t it?” Nathan asked.

“Yeah, but Phantom defeated that guy,” Morgan reminded him.

“He could have gotten out again. That’s what happened the first time, right?” Jason asked.

“Wrong. Plasmius let him out. The Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep can’t be broken out of,” Valerie shook her head, then met the confused stares sent her way. “I’ve, uh, spoken to Phantom a few times. He told me.”

Technically, not a lie.

“Maybe we should wait for him,” Jason suggested.

“There’s kind of a lot of ghosts out there. I don’t think even Phantom could take them all,” Morgan scowled, shifting the Fenton Foamer to rest it against her shoulder.

“Then what are we supposed to do?” Nathan cried.

“Children, calm down,” Ishiyama snapped. “We can contact the GIW and the Fentons. Until then, we should remain here.”

“But what about the people stuck in their homes? We can’t just leave them out there!” Jason protested.

“Guys, come on,” Valerie tilted her head and guided the Ghostketeers away from Ishiyama, who was shaking her head and sighing. When they were out of earshot, Valerie rounded on them and started whispering. “We’ve got lots of room in the auditorium. If I can sneak out, I can start to bring people here.”

“What? How do you expect to do that on your own? You can’t fight your way through that many ghosts!” Morgan hissed.

“Trust me, I can do it,” Valerie counted.

“Why should we believe you? We let you go out there, and you could die! You can’t run fast enough!”

“I won’t be running!” Valerie snapped, then slapped a hand over her mouth.

“What?” She turned wide eyes on Jason, who had asked the question, and sighed.

“You guys can’t tell this to anyone, got it? Or else you’ll find yourselves in big trouble,” Valerie threatened. The other three nodded quickly, although Morgan’s silence would depend on how juicy the secret was. She may not have been an A-lister, but she loved gossip.

“I mean it, the only reason I’m telling you guys is because you won’t let me go out there on my own if I don’t.” She received another round of nods. “Okay. I’m the Red Huntress.”

Jason and Morgan’s eyes widened, and Nathan grinned.

“I’m gonna take the Red Huntress to senior prom!”

“No you’re not!”

“No I’m not,” Nathan quickly shook his head, but he was still grinning.

“Now you know, and now I’m going to go out there, and bring back as many people as possible. And you _cannot_ follow me. I’ve been fighting ghosts a lot longer than you have.”

“Just to point out, we’ve never actually fought ghosts,” Nathan added.

“Exactly. You go out there, you die. But me?”

“Home field advantage, plus awesome ghost fighting gear,” Jason grinned.

“Wish me luck.”


	23. Dani's Obsession

The Red Huntress flew through the back alleys of Amity Park. She had been going back and forth between houses and the school for several hours now, carrying two people with her at a time. It was frustrating, trying to fly properly while being thrown off balance by the additional weight. If it were her old board, the trips would have been much longer, if it could have even stayed up. Luckily, her new and improved board had more power and tech that allowed it to compensate for the uneven weight.

Below her, the more brave people were slinking along the alley, ducking at every sudden noise. After her first few trips, apparently word had somehow spread that the school was a safe place to be. Every home within a mile and a half radius, and while Valerie doubted everyone could fit into the auditorium, the wraiths had yet to step onto school grounds. So they might by safe as long as they stay inside.

“Huntress!” Valerie quickly spun around and aimed her board to the street. She pulled up beside a couple she recognized as Maurice and Angela Foley.

“Yeah?” Valerie asked.

“The ghost shield is also up at Fenton Works. You should people to head over there as well,” Maurice said.

“How do you know?”

“Jazz called us,” Angela explained.

“Okay, thanks,” Valerie nodded to them both, then flew off. She was out until dark, telling people to either go to Fenton Works or Casper High. When Fenton Works became too full, Casper High became the only refuge. When the sun started to dip below the horizon, Valerie knew it was time to head back. There were still people trapped in their homes, but she didn’t want to be flying around at night, when ghosts were typically more active, and her absence might have been noticed by people who didn’t know her secret at this point.

Valerie was on her way back when she halted in the middle of the air. There was a group of wraiths standing at the mouth of the alley. They were clustered together, heads raised and empty eyes boring into the red-suited girl. She shivered and prepared to attack, should the wraiths make any sudden move. Their jaws slowly opened, and a green mist poured out, pooling around their feet and slowly filling the alley. Thin tendrils reached up like gnarled fingers and curled around Valerie’s ankles, probing her suit for holes. Valerie panicked and shot out of the alley, the wraiths moaning and reaching for the board as she flew overhead. Caution abandoned by her fear, she flew as fast as she could over the rooftops to the school, bursting through the doors and tumbling across the board as her suit retracted. When Valerie stopped rolling, she sat up and rubbed a sore spot on her head, then looked around. This specific hall was luckily empty, so no one had seen her removing her suit. The doors to the school remained blessedly closed, but she could still hear the wraiths moaning outside. 

* * *

“I’LL KILL HIM!” Danny roared

“Danny, calm down!” Sam shouted, but Danny wouldn’t. He was pacing around a large bedroom in Dora’s castle, having woken up an hour ago. At first he had been a little delirious, but as soon as Sam walked in, her arms and legs covered in bandages, he had descended into a fit of rage. There were fist sized holes in the thick grey stone, and a few black stains from ectoblasts on the ceiling as Danny took his anger out on anything that didn’t move. At first his rage had solely been directed at Kraeva, for hurting Sam, but in the last ten minutes, he was threatening Skulker and Technus as well. Occasionally Vlad.

“NO! I’ll kill them all, for hurting you, for making me… for making me relive _that_! They’re dead, the next time I see them!” Danny spun around and kicked the nightstand by the bed. It went soaring across the room and smashed into the wall, breaking into a thousand smaller pieces. He stared down at his bloody fist. Some of the blood was from the shredded skin on his knuckles that was slowly knitting itself back together, but most of it was from the jagged cut in his shoulder. The shard of glass Danny had used to make it lay discarded on the bed, and the rest of the broken mirror littered the floor beneath the frame still hanging on the wall. It had been an irrational and split second decision, to cut out whatever Skulker had placed in his shoulder. Unlike the time medallion that… that _he_ had fused with Danny’s body that other time, this small piece of tech was simply been placed inside of him, and Danny had managed to carve it out by cutting through what it had attached to. A gory process that Sam had tried to stop, but she couldn’t exactly reach him when he floated against the ceiling, his blood dripping down onto her upturned face. She had almost been crying, begging him to stop, but Dany hadn’t. Not until there was the light plink of something small and metal dropping against the stone floor, soon followed by the thud of Danny dropping.

The device had no longer been intangible, and Danny had picked it up with surprising delicacy despite his anger, and turned it over in his hand. Now, he stared at the thing, and the large N inside a circle that graced its only flat side. He had recognized it immediately for what it stood for.

Danny’s eyes flared red as he stared at it, and he summoned all his power, changing into Phantom. The temperature in the room dropped, ice spreading out from his feet, and his aura glowed blue as Danny did something he never knew he could do.

“ _Nikolai Technus, princeps manes imperat tibi majestas faciem iudicium tuum_ 1 _!_ ” Danny’s aura flared, there was a bright flash, and suddenly Technus was in the room with them, spinning around and trying to get his bearings.

“Who dares disturb I, the hip and cool Technus, master of all technology! It is _I_ who summons _you_!” Technus pointed an accusing finger at Danny, then froze—not literally, of course—as he took in the halfa’s appearance. Glowing eyes flickering between red and blue, bright blue aura, the ice encasing his feet and slowing spreading out across the floor, covering everything accept for a circle of space around Sam.

“ _Nemo hominem summonitionem me 2._” Technus nodded quickly, and Danny thrust out his fist, palm open with the small piece of tech on full display. “What is this?”

“Technus 2.0 does not reveal his secrets!” Technus cried, though he sounded less confident than usual. Danny’s eyes narrowed and spears of ice shot from the floor and ceiling, stopping inches from Technus and stopping any attempt he might make at fleeing.

“What is this, and what does it do?” Danny repeated

“Skulkeraskedforit,” Technus answered quickly. When Danny glared at him, he repeated it much slower.

“And?” Danny prompted.

“When activated by a chosen ghost’s ectoplasm, it reacts with a ghost core. The great and powerful Technus, has a theory. A ghosts last memories are imprinted on their core, this memory being their death. When faced with the correct stimulation, physical experiences of these final memories are induced, and a ghost will experience their death again. Only a ghost as powerful as I would have the ability to create such a device, and Skulker recognized that genius in his quest to cause you pain!” Technus explained.

Danny’s glare shifted from Technus to the small device. Green electricity crackled along his arm and zapped the machinery. There was a sharp pop, and it started to smoke.

“Ah, my invention!” Technus moaned.

“You will not make this again,” Danny instructed, turning his hand over so the now useless device fell from his palm and onto the ice.

“The master of all technology, complies to your request,” Technus said quickly.

“ _Relinquo_ 3,” Danny growled, and Technus vanished. The electricity that had flickered across his arm appeared now around the ice at Danny’s feet and spread out across the room. Cracks formed along the ice, and as the lightning dissipate, the ice melted as one, and water dropped from the ceiling to soak Danny, Sam, and everything in the room.

Danny changed back to Fenton, his eyes fading from red, to green, to blue. He opened his mouth, and a distinctly inhuman sound to Sam resembled her name came out. She rushed forwards, wrapping her arms around Danny and guided him onto the bed.

“How… did I do that?” Danny asked, staring down at his hands.

“I don’t know. You were angry, _really_ angry,” Sam tried to comfort him.

“Angry like _him_ ,” Danny shuddered, pulling his knees up to his chest. He focused on his hand, and a spark of green flickered around his fingers. “Sam, I need to tell you something.” 

* * *

It was an hour later when Danny and Sam emerged from the room, completely dry after Danny phased the water off of them. The halfa had calmed down a little, at least enough not to be punching things, and he apologized to Dora profusely when she saw the damage he had caused in the room. Dora had left and said something about troubled little brothers, sounding oddly like Jazz.

“Danny, you need to face them,” Sam urged as they stood outside the dining hall, where Dora had informed them the rest of the Ghostketeers were.

Danny shook his head. “Not really. I could drop out of high school, run away from home, stay invisible for the rest of my life. I don’t _need_ to face them.”

“But you should. Trust me, Danny. No one in there hates you. Well, maybe Dash, be he hated you already,” Sam gave a nervous, breathy laugh.

“Uh-huh,” Danny nodded, dragging his hands through his hair.

“It’ll be fine.” Sam rose onto her toes and gave Danny a kiss on the cheek, which seemed to surprise the halfa.

“We’re dating now, remember?” Sam laughed.

“Oh yeah,” Danny’s face brightened momentarily, and he wrapped his hand in hers before entering the room. He was immediately tackle hugged by his parents, who tightly wrapped their arms around him.

“Danny, we’re so sorry. We should have noticed, we should have realized something was wrong. We shouldn’t have threatened you, all the times that you told us you were good, and we didn’t listen. We’ve been horrible parents,” Maddie cried into Danny’s shoulder. Danny didn’t move, unsure of what he should do, and gave Sam a helpless look.

She returned his look with one that easily recognized as an “I told you so”, and motioned for him to hug back. Danny did so, a little awkwardly.

“You guys didn’t know, I’m the one who didn’t tell you,” Dany said.

“But you should have been able to, and we should have asked you more about the accident,” Jack countered. Danny spotted Ember standing in the corner of the room over his father’s large shoulder.

“How much do you guys know?” Danny asked, eyes roaming to the other people in the room as his parents finally broke away.

“We figured out it was the portal, and Ember gave us a few details. She also told us about your obsession,” Maddie recounted.

“Yeah, man. Saving people? That’s awesome,” Tucker grinned, and Danny realized that he hadn’t actually told his friends what his obsession was.

“Mostly,” Star added, reminded everyone about the rest of what Ember had said.

“It really isn’t easy,” Danny chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I’m assuming this is the cause of all your problems at school?” Lancer asked. Although everyone already knew the answer to that question it was, in a way, a relief to hear Danny confirm it.

“Yeah. There’s not really a lot of time for school work when I’m spending most of my time fighting ghosts. Honestly, I’m lucky if I manage to get a couple hours of sleep any given night,” Danny smiled sadly.

“That little?” Lancer asked, eyes wide.

“I mean, I don’t really need as much as you guys anyways, so it’s not a big deal. And I have other ways to regain my energy if I really need to.”

“What’s it like, being Phantom, saving people?” Kwan asked.

“It’s really cool. Being able to fly, knowing that people are okay because of me. Can’t complain about the increased strength, though having sensitive hearing can cause a few problems.” Danny rubbed his ear absently, remembering the first time he had almost burst an eardrum because of sounds being louder than they should be.

“What kind of stuff can you do?” This question actually surprised Danny a little. Considering how much time he spent fighting around Amity Park, one would expect people to have seen all of his powers already. Or maybe Kwan just wanted to hear Danny say it himself.

“Oh, man. That’s a big question. I have a lot of powers, actually. Almost everything you’ve seen the ghosts attacking Amity Park do, I can do as well. There’s really so much, it would take a while to go over. But the biggest things are Cryokinesis, which is limited to ghosts with a ghost core. Besides the yetis of the Far Frozen, I’ve never actually met any other ghosts able to do this. In the future I should be able to create portals to the Ghost Zone, and I have my ghostly wail, which I think is my most powerful ability.

Danny paused and focused on the floor while green electricity crackled up his body. “I can do this now too, which is actually kinda similar to my ghost stinger.”

“Sweet! But what about teleportation?” Tucker asked.

“Some ghosts can do that, but I can’t,” Danny shook his head.

“No, you can,” Sam said. “When we were in the Speeder, and you were panicking, I said your name, and you were suddenly in front of me.”

“Really?”

“Dude, there was a bright flash and everything. It was pretty cool,” Tucker corroborated.

“I’ve never done that before, I think,” Danny scowled, thinking back to all the fights he could remember. There was a moment during the second ordeal with Freakshow, he may have teleported then. But Danny wasn’t sure, he had been so worried about his family and friends, he hadn’t really been focusing. Then again, earlier he would have been worried about Sam.

“It’s worth a shot.” Danny glanced around the room, then focused on a spot. He pictured himself disappearing from where he was now, and reappearing there. It worked. There was a flash, and suddenly Danny was gone.

“Cool!” Everyone looked up to see the halfa standing on the ceiling, grinning wildly. He started walking around, and Lancer gaped. How was he not falling?

Danny laughed when he saw Lancer’s expression. “One of the many powers I didn’t mention, wall-crawling.”

He walked over the wall, then stepped onto that instead. Wide eyes continued to follow Danny as he made his way to the floor and returned to his spot beside Sam, once again grabbing her hand in his.

“Ember, where’s Danielle?” Danny asked.

“Sleeping, I think. I got the pipsqueak from Far Frozen and we flew back here. She may be just like you, but her stamina isn’t the same. The trip took a lot out of her,” Ember said.

“Side effects of her formerly unstable form,” Danny explained. “And thanks.”

“Whatever, Sparky,” Ember scoffed, but she was smiling.

“I really can shock you now, so maybe you should be careful?” Danny suggested, letting the green energy crackling around his hand. He was honestly starting to enjoy this power.

“Danny, before, you told us that Danielle is Phantom’s daughter,” Maddie said slowly.

“Oh, yeah. I was kind of wondering when you’d mentioned that. So, she’s my daughter, and your granddaughter,” Danny smiled sheepishly at her parents. “She’d the product of Vlad’s attempt at cloning me, trying to make the ‘perfect son.’”

“He cloned you?!” Jack shouted. “That means he experimented on you!”

“Just a little?” Danny was quiet as he said this. He could feel the phantom pains of pin pricks and scalpels along his side.

“Hey, dipstick, I’ve kinda been wondering. If the pipsqueak is your clone, does she share your obsession? I’ve never seen her save someone, and I have to say, she’s a lot more mentally stable than you are,” Ember pointed out.

“First of all, she’s not one _hundred_ percent me. In case you haven’t noticed, she’s a girl, I’m not. I call her my daughter, not my twin. Since all my other clones turned out really bad, Danielle is about .000001 percent not me, to try and stabilize her.”

“Why so little?” Maddie asked.

“DNA compatibility. My DNA is somehow perfectly compatible with ectoplasm, it’s why the portal didn’t kill me. Vlad wasn’t totally compatible, that’s we he got ecto acne. Using the smallest amount of foreign DNA possible did stabilize her more, but using anymore and she could have been worse off than the others.” Danny shuddered at the memory of watching a clone that looked just like him melting into oblivion, and then the memory of Dani melting as well. “But anyways, her obsession? Since it had never been done before, I guess you guys wouldn’t know. Obsessions aren’t genetic, it has to do with the ghosts wishes. I died, as was essentially born as a ghost, wishing that no one would have to feel this pain. That I could save them from it. Ember died wishing more people knew her name, and don’t judge her. It’s not vain, not when you know the whole story. Danielle was born not only wishing for a family, but she was created for that purpose. Those emotions would have fed her first instances as a ghost, since she had no previous human emotions. So Danielle’s obsession is family, and as long as she has one, she’ll be fine.”

Danny smiled. A goofy, loving grin that made him seem to glow, before it slipped from his face.

“By the way, we’re heading back to Amity Park as soon as Danielle wakes up. Kraeva mentioned a surprise, and I hate surprises.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 Nikolai Technus, the prince of ghosts commands you, face your judgement  
> 2 No man summons me  
> 3 Leave
> 
> Sorry if the translations aren't totally accurate. I'm not really knowledgeable on languages


	24. The Call

Danny was sitting on the floor at the back of the Speeder. Tucker on his left, Sam on his right, and Danielle sleeping peacefully in his lap. Danny had been growing increasingly anxious about what was going on in Amity Park as the night stretched on, so he had decided to take the still sleeping Danielle from her bed and just carry her. The Ghostketeers had been surprised when Danny had led them to a room, and instead of seeing a girl with tan skin and white hair, they saw a girl with black hair, a red beanie, blue hoodie, and pale skin like Danny. Afterwards they felt ridiculous for being surprised. Danielle had started off as Danny’s clone, of course she would have a human form. Maddie had remained outside the room, still adjusting to the fact that she was a grandmother, her baby boy had been experimented on, and the revelation that she had wanted to capture and experiment on her granddaughter in order to lure her son for his own experiments. She kept her eyes downcast in her shame.

Now, driving the Speeder while following Ember’s directions, Maddie was still taking care to avoid Danielle. Not because she found her an abomination, which she didn’t, but because of Danny’s earlier threat. She meant no harm to Danielle now, but Maddie understood that Danny didn’t trust her, not completely, so for now she was staying away. And Danny was grateful for that.

Yes, his mother had accepted him, and she seemed to accept Danielle, but Danny understood the mind of a scientist, since he had one. Sometimes, the desire to know something could overcome your own feelings, or your own sense of right and wrong. Until he was sure that Maddie could looked at Danielle without the objective mind of a scientist, he was going to be careful around her. Jack? Not so much. His dad did have the mind of a scientist, but he was also a family man. If Danny considered Danielle to be family, then so would Jack, no questions asked. He probably would never call Dora, or Ember, or Frostbite family like Danny did, but he understood how important those ghosts were to his son.

Sam lowered her head onto Danny’s shoulder, and Danny in turn lowered his head onto her, which caused a teasing round of “aww’s” to erupt from Tucker. He received a few sharp punches to the shoulder for it. They were almost at the Fenton Portal, so Danny took the time to watch everyone carefully. Lancer and Star had accepted his revelation easily, and Danny wondered if they possibly could have been close to, or could have already, figured out his secret before the events at Sable. It wouldn’t have surprised him, given how much he had been giving away recently. Kwan had undoubtedly been shocked, and had apologized to Danny several times over for wailing on him in the past. Danny had waved them off as unnecessary. He always knew that Kwan had never liked to bully people, not that it was an excuse, but Danny knew that his remorse was real. Besides, Danny reassured Kwan that the beatings hardly felt like anything to him, after all he had been through, and it was better that someone like him, who could take it, did, instead of someone like Nathan or Mikey.

It was Paulina and Dash that worried him. They had yet to speak to him, which was definitely not what Danny had been expecting. He thought Dash would scramble to apologize, even if wouldn’t totally mean it, for wailing on his hero. Although it was a little vain, he had almost expected Paulina to jump at the opportunity to ask him out. After all, she had been chasing Phantom for a long time, and Paulina still believed that every boy was in love with her, including Danny. Girlfriend or no girlfriend. Although he didn’t really want to, Danny decided that he would have to speak to them once they were back in Amity Park, to sort things out.

When the portal was in sight, Danny rose to his feet, Danielle still curled in his arms, and addressed the Ghostketeers.

“For obvious reasons, I would like for my secret to remain a secret. I know that may be hard for some of you,” Danny shot a glare at Dash and Paulina, but neither of them reacted. “But my life kind of depends on it. The GIW have been chasing after Vlad ever since he revealed himself, but they haven’t been able to find him. Obviously, if they somehow caught wind of my halfa status, they would chase after me, too. And I’m pretty sure I’d be a lot easier to catch.”

“What would they want you for?” Kwan asked, confused.

“Kwan, I’m half ghost. Half _dead_. It’s kind of a scientific miracle. Any scientist would want a subject like that to, uh, study,” Danny carefully chose his words, not wanted to say ‘experiment on,’ but he was understood by all, and there were several hasty nods. Minus Dash and Paulina, who were now whispering furiously to each other.

Maddie positioned the Speeder in front of the portal, and jammed her thumb down on the yellow and black button that opened the doors. 

* * *

Jazz was sitting in front of the generator for the ghost shield, blueprints lying open in her lap. It had to be well past midnight now, and mostly everyone that had taken refuge in Fenton Works was asleep. Children and older folks occupying the beds, couches, and mattresses while everyone else huddled on the floor. There was barely an inch of walking space, and some of the more confident people had even taken to lying down on the stairs. The Ops Centre was off limits, mostly because Jazz didn’t want to make that decision without her parents around. But if the Red Huntress sent more people tomorrow, she just might have to.

One of the people that had come to Fenton Works was Officer Jackson, and he had informed Jazz that, before the wraiths invaded, he had sent off a request for GIW presence for a ghost related emergency. A couple hours ago, Jazz had suggested making a second, more urgent call with details of their situation. Shortly after the call was made, the power went out. Fenton Works, luckily, ran on its own, separate power grid, uncreatively dubbed Fenton Electrical, but it kept the ghost shield running, which was all that Jazz could ask for.

She just hoped that the shield at the school had its own power source as well.

Jazz groaned as she tried to make sense of her parent’s blueprints. She may have been smart, but science and engineering weren’t really her thing. She was _trying_ to expand the shield like her parents had during the Pariah Dark incident, hoping to make it large enough to cover the whole town. So far she having little luck, and she didn’t want to start randomly pressing buttons, just in case it should make the shield go away. Giving up, Jazz balled up the blueprints and tossed them over her shoulder. It was eerie being in the wide, empty space of the Ops Centre, while she knew that just below her would be rooms full of snoring and sniffling people, and just outside the shield was a massive skeleton army.

She was thankful that no one appeared to be hurt, but believed it would only be a matter of time before they decided to attack. She had also noticed that Danny Phantom had yet to make an appearance. Typically he would be out fighting before anyone even noticed the ghosts were there. Obviously that couldn’t happen in this situation, but no one Jazz had asked had seen the ghost hero. She ignored the words of those that believed this whole ordeal was his fault.

But the lack of Phantom’s appearance worried her. What if these ghosts were too powerful for him, and he had simply left? Jazz shook her head. Danny Phantom was a hero, he wouldn’t abandon Amity Park. He was probably just going to get help.

Satisfied with her thoughts, Jazz stood and stretched, sliding a panel in the wall back over the ghost shield generator, then made her way back downstairs. She had to move carefully around the halls, stepping over and around the sleeping bodies. She paused in front of Danny’s room. His door was open, and a group small children were piled on his bed, clinging to each other, while a few older siblings lay scattered around the bed. She smiled at the scene, then found her eyes drawn to where the portal door would be two floors below.

She was worried for the Ghostketeers. They had been in there for well over a day now, and had so little experience in the Ghost Zone. In fact, they had only actually gone there once before. Jazz started wondering if they had rescued Sam yet, if Danny was okay after his injuries. If he had died.

“No way, not Danny,” Jazz huffed, shaking her head. She and her brother may have grown apart in recent years, even more so after his accident, but she knew that he was strong. Not only physically, as she had so recently found out, but he had a strong will as well. If Danny wanted to do something, he would do it. If he believed in something, nothing could sway his mind, and he would stop at nothing to protect his friends.

Jazz remembered when they had been younger, in elementary school. It was the one time that she had ever been bullied, by a middle schooler that, at the time, had seemed to be a lot bigger than her. Definitely a lot bigger than Danny. But when her little brother had seen the older boy pushing Jazz, he had immediately ran forwards, yelling, and tackling him. The kid had been sent home with a bloody nose and a black eye, an impressive feat from a fist so small. Danny, of course, had gotten in trouble, but Jazz had been proud of him. Jack had been too, considering Danny had only been protecting his older sister. While Maddie hadn’t necessarily been proud, her punishment for it had been lenient, and Danny had found a chocolate bar in his lunch the next day. Jazz smiled at the memory, and started to quietly reassure herself.

“They’ll all be fine. Every bit of evidence in the memoir points to them being fine. Mom and Dad can fight, the Ghostketeers have been trained, and Danny is Danny.” Jazz yawned and headed to the living room, moving with extra care while going down the stairs so she didn’t jostle any of the sleeping people. It would be a little more than problematic if she scared one of them awake, and they tumbled down the stairs. She picked her way through the room, and found a small space on the floor where she could sleep. Her eyes were just starting to droop when there was a loud thunk and several screams rose up from the lab. 

* * *

Valerie had been right in assuming that not everyone would fit in the auditorium. But she had also been right that the wraiths weren’t stepping onto school grounds. Still, the people scattered in the hallways were volunteers only. At the end of each occupied hall was one of the Ghostketeers, Fenton Foamer in hand with a back-up Anti-creep Stick. They were standing (or sitting) watch throughout the night, occasionally pairing up to patrol outside the school, though never straying too far from any potential entrance should it become necessary to flee. Valerie was the only one who patrolled alone.

She yawned as she circled the school one more time on her board, and quickly snapped her mouth shut. She could sleep she the sun rose and there would be more people to keep watch. The Ghostketeers had discussed what they would do. Most of Amity Park knew of the group of ghost hunters in training, which means they knew that, until the Fentons were found or returned, they were also currently the most knowledgeable people on ghosts. Even if they were kids.

Once everyone was awake, they would ask for volunteers that would be willing to take a crash course in the handling of Fenton Foamers to stand watch at vital points in the school. They honestly hadn’t thought beyond that. As long as the wraiths were out there, they couldn’t just go marching into the streets with their limited weapons. Then, there were all the people still hiding in their homes.

Valerie scanned the mass of ghosts filling the streets, looking for a very specific one. Although she knew she wouldn’t find him among the wraiths.

It upset Valerie greatly that it had taken him saving the whole world for her to see that Danny Phantom wasn’t a bad ghost. She hadn’t apologized to Phantom, because at the time she had wholeheartedly believed he was the cause of her woes, so her attacks were, technically, justified. No apology was needed, and it didn’t look like Phantom wanted one. They had made a shaky truce, and had even occasionally hunted ghosts together. Although now, if one came during school, Valerie no longer ran out to fight, knowing that Phantom could take care of it while she could focus on school.

She had been hoping that he would try and get in contact with her with everything that’s happened. Phantom had made it very obvious that he knew the Red Huntress was Valerie Grey, and if the need arose he would not be afraid to approach her in broad daylight. Although that hadn’t actually happened yet. Now she found her anger towards the hero rising, not that she was actually mad at _him_ , it was mostly just the situation, and his absence made him a good target.

Valerie looked over the rooftops to the green dome a couple blocks away. She had never actually realized how close Fenton Works was to the school before. If you went slowly, probably around a half hour walk. So how was Danny late to class all the time? She scowled at the thought of the other Ghostketeers, and started debating whether she should visit Fenton Works once the sun rose so that she could speak to Jazz.

Pulling her eyes away from the ghost hunters’ home, Valerie swivelled on her board and turned back to the school. It was Jason and Erin’s turn to patrol. As Valerie informed the jock of this, she laughed at his expression. Erin had made it very clear she didn’t like the jock, despite his insistence that he wasn’t like the A-listers. But Hayden hadn’t been put on patrols, not that they would have sent the two freshman out alone anyways, because of his fear. So, Erin had been placed with Jason, and Morgan with Nathan. Valerie had decided this would be best to even out abilities. If Hayden were to patrol, it would be with her. But Valerie had respected his fears and didn’t force him to do it.

Valerie settled in the spot Jason had previously occupied, retracting her suit and resting her gun (she had opted to use her own weapons instead of the Foamers) in her lap. The wraiths were still moaning, and collective noise echoed eerily throughout the halls despite the lack of open doorways. Valerie grimaced and glanced at her watch.

It was going to be a long night. 

* * *

“Sir, we’ve received a call from Amity Park,” Operative K stood firm, shoulders straight, head up, heels together, as he addressed his Alpha operative.

“Play it,” Operative O commanded. K nodded and whipped out a small device from his pocket, pressing a flashing button. They listened silently as Mayor Montez reiterated what had been told to him by Officer Jackson, who had been repeating Jazz’s words. As a result, the mayor ended up being very vague. But his panicked tone suggested the need for several operatives to help fix the situation.

“When did this come in?”

“Just before noon, sir.”

“Gather operatives L and M and request a tank. We will be leaving in ten minutes.”

Operative K nodded and left to make the necessary calls.

They would be in Amity Park by sunrise.


	25. Kraeva and the Ancients

The first thing Danny heard as the Speeder passed through the portal was the incessant buzzing in his ears. Danielle shifted in his arms, but wasn’t woken by the buzzing. Danny assumed she wasn’t powerful enough for the shield to affect her human form. What did wake her, and what the second thing Danny heard was the screaming. The Speeder was hovering a couple feet off the floor, and the people that had woken from the sound of the portal door opening were now faced with a very large, very heavy vehicle suspended in the air inches from their faces.

Suffice to say, they panicked.

When the screaming started Maddie yelped and the Speeder shot up a few more feet, bumping against the ceiling. Danny, having now spotted the crowd of people scrambling out from under the Speeder and towards the walls of the lab, breathed a sigh of relief that Maddie’s reflexive move had not been to let the Speeder drop to the floor.

Danny threw open the door to the Speeder and jumped down, his knees barely bending to absorb the shock, into the empty space that had been made when everyone awoke.

“Excuse me, let me through please!” A voice called from the stairs, and people spilled down to make way for the source of the voice.

“Danny?”

“Jazz! What’s going on?” Danny asked right away, marching swiftly across the open space.

“You’re not dead?! I thought those wounds would have killed you. Did you guys get Sam? Is everyone else with you, and why is your shirt wet? Is that _blood_?!” Jazz cried, going into overprotective sister mode. Without even asked, she grabbed the hem of Danny’s shirt and lifted.

“Hey!” Danny jumped back, swatting her hand away, and Jazz sighed with relief. His chest was properly bandaged, and he appeared to be energetic.

“Okay, to answer your questions. We got Sam, she’s fine. Everyone is with me, and yes that is blood.” Danny pressed a hand to his shoulder. The gouge he had made in his shoulder was mostly healed, the flesh visible through the hole stitched together. He hadn’t changed his shirt at Dora’s, ignoring the requests of the others while worrying over Amity.

“Now answer my question,” Danny commanded.

Jazz waited a moment, going over Danny’s response in her mind, and taking in the large number of people around them, before answering.

“The day after you guys disappeared, all these ghosts invaded Amity. A lot of people are either here, or at the school, but there’s more that are trapped in their homes. They haven’t actually _attacked_ yet, and no one has been hurt, but they don’t look friendly.”

Danny scowled. “Show me.”

Jazz nodded and turned, motioning for Danny to follow. He was about to, when Tucker’s panicked voice reached his ears.

“Danny, something’s wrong with Ember and Princess Dorathea.” Danny, much as Jazz had earlier, immediately snapped into over protective sibling mode. He turned back to the Speeder, which had lowered a little, but still didn’t have enough space to stand. With barely a thought for all the normal people watching, Danny jumped up, just a little higher than the average person would have been able to, and easily pulled himself into the Speeder.

Those who knew of Danny’s reputation as a weakling watched with gaping mouths.

In the Speeder, Dora and Ember were huddled against each other, hands over their ears and whimpering slightly.

“It’s because of the ghost shield. It was modified recently to not only repel ghosts, but attacks any ghosts encased inside of it. Mom, lower the Speeder a little more. Kwan, can you grab Ember?” Danny asked the jock. Kwan nodded and picked up the ghostly rock star, who grunted in place of complaining. Danny carried Dora, and jumped more carefully from the Speeder with the ghost in his arms. A few people gave shrieks of surprise at the sight of the two ghosts, and watched with wary eyes as the Fenton boy and Kwan Lee carried them over to the portal. Danny pressed his thumb against the genetic lock, motioned for Kwan to stay outside the portal, then jumped inside. He emerged without the princess in his arms and took the blue-haired ghost from Kwan, repeating the process. When Danny emerged the second time, the door closed behind him, and he immediately followed Jazz upstairs. The citizens of Amity Park shared glances, and moved back against the wall so that the Speeder could land.

Maddie carefully brought it down, and the Ghostketeers piled out, a sleepy Danielle wobbling after them and automatically reaching for Sam’s hand. Without even thinking about it, Sam closed her slender fingers over Danielle’s. No one missed the large number of bandages covering the Goth’s arms and legs.

“So… does anyone know if my parents are here?” Sam asked. A few people shook their heads, and she sighed with relief.

“Good.”

“Where’d Danny go?” Danielle yawned, rubbing her eyes.

“He went upstairs,” Sam explained.

“Okay,” Dani swayed on her feet and yawned again, leaning against Sam. “The buzzing is annoying.” 

* * *

Jazz had opted to remain inside Fenton Works while Danny stood just behind the ghost shield, staring down the wraiths on the other side. They had recognized him instantly and worked themselves into a frenzy, slashing at the shield. Their swords did nothing. Danny smiling and taunted them with a wave. He turned on his heels and started to walk around the house, out of sight of the windows. While most of the wraiths were on the street, there were a few hiding out in the alley behind the house. If they hadn’t been able to fly, they would have been trapped between the ghost shield and the wall.

Danny was smirking at the wraith when he heard movement from his left and whipped around, fists raised in a guarded stance. He relaxed when he saw it was Dash and Paulina, but only slightly.

“Oh, hey… I’ve been meaning to talk to you guys,” Danny said nervously. Dash looked a little angry, and Paulina looked contemplative. It was an unfamiliar expression on the Latina’s face.

“Why are you lying, Fenturd?” Dash asked, crossing his arms.

Danny raised an eyebrow. “Lying about what?”

“There’s no way that you’re Phantom. Phantom is cool, and strong, and he’s a hero. You’re just a wimp and a nerd.”

“So… you think I’m lying?”

“Yeah, Fentina.”

Danny met Dash’s glare, then burst out laughing. “Oh, man. You can’t be serious? I mean, I knew you were dumb and all, but really? You _saw_ me change, Dash. You and the other Ghostketeers. There wasn’t any illusion, no magic, just me, turning into Phantom.”

“But it’s not possible,” Dash scowled, his anger rising as Danny dared to laugh at him.

“Seriously? Have you completely forgotten everything that happened with _Vlad_?” Danny’s eyes flashed red as he said the name. “He’s a halfa, just like me. You didn’t find it so hard to believe that Masters was Plasmius, but there’s absolutely no way Fenton can be Phantom?”

“Mayor Masters was-”

“A _halfa_. Just like me, except he was evil. He had a portal accident a little bit like mine, although I’m pretty sure he’s not as dead as I am,” Danny rubbed his temple. The buzz of the ghost shield was getting to him.

“Then change again,” Dash said stiffly.

“I would just _love_ to, Dash. But in case you didn’t hear me explain it, this current ghost shield, _harms_ ghosts that are inside of it. _I_ am currently inside of it. If I go ghost, I’ll be worse off than Dora and Ember were,” Danny laughed sarcastically.

“You’re fine right now.”

“That’s because I’m in my human form, and not using any of my powers. The moment I change, or turn invisible, or try to float, and I’m down for the count.”

“Then go outside and change!” Dash yelled, getting frustrated.

“I _can’t_. Ghosts can’t pass through ghost shields, and neither can powerful half ghosts. Danielle could, because she’s weaker than me and her ghost energy isn’t as prominent in human form. But me? The only thing that changes now is my appearance, I’m so far gone,” Danny’s voice was cold and emotionless, making Dash pause. But the blond jock soon recovered.

“How do I know that no one can pass through it?” Dash countered. Danny just stared at him for a moment, then Dash suddenly found himself being pulled forward by the collar of his shirt and shoved towards the shield. Only Danny’s grip on the front of his shirt kept him from stumbling back. Dash was leaning out of the shield, head and shoulders exposed for the nearby wraith, which clicked its teeth happily and started approaching.

“Pull me in, _pull me in_!” Dash shrieked. Danny obeyed and the moment he let go of Dash’s shirt, the bully shoved him back against the shield, expecting Danny to go through much the same as he had. When Danny didn’t, and instead hit the shield with a sharp grunt, Dash’s eyes widened.

“You weren’t lying,” Dash whispered.

“No, I wasn’t lying. Dash, as much as you may hate it, I am Danny Phantom. The kid that you punch every day is the ghost you go home and cheer for while watching the news. Those posters in your locker and on your bedroom wall? They’re of me. _I’m_ the one you spent a whole day with, running away from Skulker. _I’m_ the one you complained about wimpy Fenton too, then proceeded to tell me how cool I was. _I’m_ the one that saves this town from ghosts every. Single Day. And I’m the one who’s going to go out there, beat the wraiths, Technus, Skulker, Vlad, and Kraeva into ectoplasmic _pulps_ while you guys stay safely behind the ghost shield.”

Danny’s chest was rising and falling rapidly, and his eyes were fading back from green to blue. He scolded himself silently for his emotional outburst and leaned against the shield wall, glaring at Dash.

 _I dare you to say something else_ , Danny’s eyes challenged.

“So you _are_ Danny Phantom?” Dash asked.

Danny didn’t even reply, just tilted his head and gave him an “are you serious?” look.

“You’re still a loser,” Dash scoffed, looking away, and Danny actually smiled.

“Good, I wouldn’t like it any other way. Being popular isn’t really my thing, and it would make what I do a whole lot harder if _both_ of me had to avoid people.” He mussed up his hair with both hands, then shook his head so it fell just in front of his eyes. Danny pushed off the shield with one foot and tottered for a moment before falling forwards, before swinging his foot out into the grass. Dash stumbled back as Danny’s feet literally slid along the grass, leaving growing green trail that faded a few seconds later. The halfa stopped with his arm thrown around the jocks shoulder in a very uncharacteristic manner, eyes flashing green.

“I’m also a loser with a _big_ secret. One that, if too many people knew about, could result in me on an operation table undergoing extensive vivisection,” Danny hissed into Dash’s ear, who was shivering at the image. “So it would be appreciated if no one else found out.”

Danny’s eyes flicked over to Paulina, who had yet to say anything, while Dash nodded vigorously.

“Cool!” Danny grinned and stepped away from the jock, who went running back inside. “What about you, Paulina? Are you going to tell someone?”

“Hmm… no.” Danny flinched involuntarily as Paulina stepped close, hands clasped behind her back and looking up at a stunned Danny. Her eyes roamed over his face, and she grinned. “You’re secret’s safe with me, ghost boy.”

Paulina giggled, stepping backwards while still facing Danny, before spinning around and skipping inside. Danny blinked, blushing despite himself. He loved Sam, thought she was beautiful, but Paulina was still pretty, and a pretty girl, the queen of Casper High no less, using a flirtatious tone with him was not something the halfa was used to.

Danny waited a few moments after the A-list couple had gone before following. While he felt a little bad for scaring Dash like that, it had been necessary, and Danny had found it kind of fun. He chuckled, then realized exactly what he had just thought. It had been _fun_.

It shouldn’t have been fun. Heroes don’t find _scaring_ people _fun_.

But he just did. 

* * *

“They’re called wraiths.” Danny was leaning against the wall by the door, looking over his shoulder out the window. A few of the wraiths had seen him watching them, and were thrusting their swords into the air repeatedly. Danny stuck his tongue out at them, then faced the room. The sun was up now, and everyone was awake. The children were being entertained upstairs, and anyone that was interested in the topic had crowded into the living room. The Ghostketeers, Officer Jackson, Amber, and various adults and teenagers. Everyone was watching Danny, although many of them seemed skeptical as to why they were paying attention to the Fenton boy.

After Danny had returned inside, he told Jazz that he knew what was going on, but would wait until everyone was up before he started explaining, so he wouldn’t have to do it multiple times. He had been surprised with how easily Jazz accepted this, as well as her request to speak with him afterwards. Although he wasn’t sure if afterwards referred to his explanation, or this whole ordeal.

But for now he stood in front of an expectant, if wary, crowd, with Danielle sitting on the floor beside him. He had tried to get her to stay upstairs with everyone else, but the youngest halfa would have nothing of it. She refused to be separated from Danny if she didn’t have to be. Danny had relented, and now his daughter was smiling contentedly while playing around with a lipstick blaster. A few parents looked ready to scold Danny for allowing her to use it, but he ignored their looks. Danielle could handle that small blaster better than they could handle a Creep Stick.

“From what I gather, they’re working for a powerful ghost named Kraeva. Who Kraeva is exactly, I’m not sure, but I have people working on finding out,” Danny started.

“Like who?” Someone asked.

“Friends. Ghost friends.”

“Ghosts? But they’re the ones attacking us in the first place!”

“They’re also the ones you’re expecting to save you, right? I don’t care how much you may say you hate Danny Phantom, you all believe he’s going to be the one to stop all this, right?” Danny met any challenging glares, taking his time, not blinking as he did so. It didn’t take long for those people to shift their gazes to the floor or shuffle their feet in nervousness.

They never knew the Fenton boy could be so perceptive.

“Phantom is a good ghost.” Danny was pleased to see most heads bobbing up and down, the Ghostketeers a little more enthusiastically than others.

“Damn right he is!” Jack cheered, drawing a few stunned stares. When Maddie nodded in agreement, their stun turned to outright shock. First the Red Huntress, now the Fentons. Phantom was slowly gaining everyone’s favour.

“Right. Phantom is good, and he’s not the only good ghost. There are many others, they just don’t usually leave the Ghost Zone, preferring to stay in their own homes. The ones we do see just happen to usually have less than kind intentions. Some of you saw them before, Princess Dorathea and Ember McClain. They’re good, and they’re getting us the information we need.”

“Why are we listening to a kid? You’re barely fifteen, and your parents are the ghost hunters,” Henry Sanchez said gruffly. He still didn’t really like the Fentons, but they had brought his daughter back safe and sound.

“You’re listening to our son, because he has been fighting ghosts for a year, and knows them better than anyone,” Maddie sniffed and Danny grinned. For all his worries, it was great having his parents in on the secret.

A few people looked back and forth between the mother and son, not believing what they were hearing, until a certain Latina spoke up.

“Danny knows a lot about ghosts, and he has a lot of ghost friends that helped us while we were in the Ghost Zone. If it weren’t for him, we probably would still be in there,” Paulina smiled sweetly and, being the easily manipulated people they were, the Amity Park citizens ate it up. While Paulina may not have been the brightest, she certainly knew what to say so that things would go the way that she wanted.

Danny gave her a grateful smile before continuing. “There’s a lot of ghosts out there, and a lot more citizens not under the protection of a shield, but there isn’t enough room here, or at the school. So the first thing we need to do is expand the shield to cover several blocks, bring everyone together in the same area. As for the wraiths? The easiest way to take them down, would be to take down their leader. I’ve spoken to Phantom about it and-”

“Dude, even Phantom can’t do that on his own,” Tucker interrupted.

“Yeah, Danny. Even if he got anywhere close to Kraeva, the wraiths keep him too distracted. He needs help,” Sam gave him a pointed look and Danny sighed.

“He doesn’t want anyone getting hurt,” Danny explained, sounding exasperated.

“But who says they’ll get hurt?” Danielle asked, looking up from her spot on the floor. Danny crouched down, patting her raven hair.

“Dani, Phantom barely beat Pariah with the use of the ecto-skeleton. This army is much bigger, and he had the other ghosts helping him out back then. This time, those ghosts are on Kraeva’s side, and some of his allies are gone too,” Danny said.

“But he did have help,” Danielle pointed out, and she grinned. “And no one will get hurt. You’ll protect us.”

“We can train those willing to fight, teach them how to use our anti-ecto weapons,” Maddie offered. Jack had already run upstairs to the Ops Centre to work on expanding the shield.

“The GIW are coming, too,” Jackson added.

“What?” Danny stilled, his body tense, and his eyes roamed over to Officer Jackson while his head stayed straight.

“I had the mayor call them after learning you were all stuck in the Ghost Zone,” Jackson elaborated. No one seemed to notice the way the Ghostketeer’s eyes were all drawn to Danny and Danielle, the youngest halfa instinctively clinging to Danny’s leg at the mention of the government ghost hunting agency. She personally had never had the misfortune of meeting them, but Danny had warned her about them nonetheless.

“Right, good. They’re help is more important than my safety,” Danny nodded, then leaned down to Danielle. “Do _not_ use your ghost powers, no matter what, unless I tell you to.”

“Uh-huh,” Danielle nodded obediently.

“Good. Are you guys sure you want to fight?” Danny asked the crowd.

“Of course we are!” Kwan called from the stairs. “We can protect the town, just like Phantom does!”

The teenagers cheered in agreement, the adults quickly following. Even the ones who hated Danny Phantom couldn’t boo the idea of protecting themselves.

“Okay. Anyone interested in learning to fight, talk to any of the Ghostketeers,” Danny ended the ‘meeting’ at that, and headed down to the lab, with Danielle, Tucker, and Sam following him.

“I’m going to go into the Ghost Zone and see if Dora has found anything yet. Ember is out gathering my allies, or who’s left of them at least. I don’t know how long we have before Kraeva will attack, but I doubt he’ll stay hidden for long. This will be too much fun for him to miss.” Danny paused before the portal doors.

“I won’t actually be leaving the door, but I have Fenton Phones just in case.” He pulled two pairs from his pocket, handing one to Sam while putting on his own. “I’ll be right back.”

His friends and daughter nodded, and Danny jumped into the swirling green haze. As soon as he had left the human realm, Danny sighed a breath of relief. Here, in the Ghost Zone, he was out of the ghost shields reach, and his head became blessedly silent. But his chest still hurt, it had hurt ever since he saw how hurt Sam had gotten, and hadn’t lessened up since. Danny knew what it was from.

Failing his obsession.

Sam, one of the most important people in his life, had gotten hurt, and he hadn’t been able to stop it. The stabbing pain had started immediately, and he knew it would probably never go away. Danny itched to distract himself, to feel some semblance over power over this, some control over how he felt. It wouldn’t be the first time Danny had failed his obsession. There had been many days when he had gone without fulfilling his ghostly needs, but that had always been remedied the next time he flew into danger to save someone. Though he hadn’t always been able to resist the same urge he was feeling now. The urge that was stronger than ever.

“No, stop it!” Danny shouted, punching the spot on his thigh that had been itching. He had made Ember a promise, had sworn on the people of Amity Park just as she had sworn on her name. A ghostly promise sworn through obsessions was one never to be broken, but Danny was very tempted to now.

And he might have, if Dora hadn’t chosen that moment to arrive.

“Danny, you’re here! I was worried I was late and might have missed you,” Dora said when she approached, a large book in her hands.

“No, I’ve only been here a minute or two, and I would have waited. What did you find?”

“I went to Clockwork requesting his help, but he was not there. I know it may not be proper to do so, but a princess gets curious when standing in the abode of the master of time,” Dora smiled cheekily. “And I did notice this book, not too far from the entrance, in fact.”

Dora passed the heavy tome over to Danny, who read the title. _Ekzilita_ _Aĵoj_ , Esperanto for Exiled Ones.

“Frostbite mentioned the banished lands, the first time I spoke to him,” Danny quickly flipped open the cover, pouring over the first page, hardly even needing to think as he translated the text from Esperanto to English. It told him about the land beyond the Ghost Zone, on the farthest edges, where ghosts that had committed heinous crimes were sent. The ancients that had sealed Pariah Dark, or the king of ghosts, were the only ones able to banish people, and it was said to be absolute. Once were banished, you never returned. Since the sealing of Pariah Dark, no ghost had been sentenced to banishment, since the ancients disappeared soon after, and there was no longer any ghost bearing the title as king. That’s when the observant took over, and placed Walker as warden of the Ghost Zone.

Danny frowned. “How did Kraeva returned, if it’s supposed to be absolute?”

“I am unaware, Danny,” Dora spoke softly.

“That’s okay, maybe I can find something in here, thanks Dora. I told the others I wouldn’t be gone too long. Could you help Ember find any ghosts willing to fight, and gather them here? I’ll be back as soon as I’m able to be,” Danny closed the book and tucked it under his arm.

“Of course, brother. I hope to see you soon.” Danny gave Dora a brief hug and watched her fly away for a moment before returning to the human realm, complaining quietly to himself when the buzzing filled his ears again.

“I’m going to the Ops Centre, to be somewhere quiet,” Danny informed his friends. They nodded, and immediately followed. Danny settled on the floor in one of the corners, the book Dora found spread over his lap. Tucker fiddled with his PDA, showing Danielle his newest game, while Sam took out one of her newest poetry books. By the time the others were comfortable, Danny’s eyes were already moving across the pages at an alarming rate, absorbing as much information as he could. 

* * *

Kraeva had been the equivalent of the king of ghosts, before the title had been formally created and given the power it now held today. Just as the Fright Night was second in command to Pariah, Pariah had been second in command to Kraeva. The demon-like ghost had not been provided the same opportunity as Pariah in his search for power, the Ring of Rage and Crown of Fire not yet having been made. He had been a native to the Ghost Zone, one of few to take on a semi-human form.

Always a powerful ghost, he had grown intrigued by the things he heard of this ‘human realm’ where many other ghosts came from, and it became his obsession. Kraeva had subjugated the Ghost Zone on his journey to reach the human realm, but his efforts remained unfruitful, thus failing in satisfying his obsession. Kraeva descended into madness, consumed by his pain and hate, and he had destroyed much of the Ghost Zone, creating what would later become the banished lands. The ancients, who had been quite young at the time, worked together to create a barrier around the lands Kraeva had destroyed, that would remain strong as long as their (and later the king’s) will remained strong. It had taken years to accomplish, but when the task had been complete, they had combined their powers and sent Kraeva away after a long and arduous battle.

Sensing the need for order in the Ghost Zone, the ancients established the king of ghosts, a blessing to be given to whomever they chose. They imbued their powers into the crown and ring to be worn by whoever they deemed worthy, which would often be the strongest ghost. The ghost they chose would receive a marking, often unbeknownst to them, that would give them power. Once they bore the ring and crown, that power would increase over ten fold.

Many centuries passed under the peaceful rules of various ghosts, but the ancients wrongly believed that Pariah Dark had changed his ways during his years out of servitude, and blessed him with their mark when he had been rising in power. It had been a mistake, and they had sealed him away in the Sarcophagus of Forever sleep in lieu of banishment, not wishing to send Pariah to the land where the ghost he once served was in fear of what they may do.

After the reign of Pariah Dark, the ancients retreated from the world, and a ghost bearing their mark, chosen for kingdom, had yet to be found. 

* * *

Danny stared down at the last sentence on the page, his thumb running over the old ink. His hand slipped from the page and rose to rub the back of his neck, fingertips brushing the spot where, at the base of his head, if one were to look carefully past the hair that had grown out over the past year, the tail end of a dark mark could be seen against his pale flesh.


	26. Recruitment

“Val! Something’s happening outside!” Nathan came running down the hall, his Foamer swinging rapidly as he did so. The people sitting against the walls yelled and ducked whenever the barrel whipped around and pointed in their direction.

“Hold you gun properly!” Valerie snapped, wincing at his improper handling of the device. While it may not cause on real harm to humans, it would still be an uncomfortable experience to be doused in green ectoplasmic foam.

“Right, sorry.” Nathan quickly changed his grip on the gun as he bent over panting. Physical activity was really not his area of expertise. “But… outside, something’s happening…”

Valerie nodded and start running down the way he came, leaving Nathan to either catch his breath, or follow her. The soft groan she heard before she made it out of earshot led her to believe Nathan had opted to follow. Valerie reached the main door of the school and found the rest of the Ghostketeers gathered around it.

“Why aren’t you guys at the other entrances?” Valerie demanded. In response, Hayden pointed to the window in the door. Valerie sighted and stepped up to it. At first she didn’t notice anything strange. Wraiths were still scattered around the street, the ghost shield over Fenton Works glowing from a few blocks over. Then Valerie realized that the shield looked like it was _growing_ , and wraiths weren’t facing the school. Ripples of movement spread out among the skeletal ghosts as they turned to face the approaching green wall. Valerie also noticed that there weren’t as many wraiths on the street as there had been before.

“When did they start leaving?” Valerie asked, turning back to the others. She was met with blank stares. “The wraiths, there’s not as many.”

“Uh…” Jason scratched his head and looked to Morgan for help, but she just shrugged. Nathan looked severely dejected that he couldn’t answer her question, and Erin crossed her arms and kept her gaze focused on the floor.

“Um, it was around one in the m-morning. They st-started leaving in small groups,” Hayden looked at Valerie almost apologetically, gaze switching from his shoes to the huntress.

“How do you know that?” Valerie asked, genuinely surprised, considering Hayden was the only one who didn’t go on patrols. If he was right, then the wraiths had started leaving when she still had a few more patrols to go, and even she hadn’t noticed their diminishing level.

“W-well, I’m just… I…” Hayden shuffled his feet, looking distinctly uncomfortable being the centre of attention.

“He’s really observant, and good at estimating numbers. I bet Hayden noticed right away that the ghosts were leaving,” Erin grinned proudly as she boasted Hayden’s abilities, who was blushing and protesting her claims.

“No, not r-really. Since I w-wasn’t patrolling, I decided to keep an eye on th-things i-inside. S-so I started watching through the windows, and n-noticed my third time a-around,” Hayden shrugged, rubbing his arms.

“That’s really cool! Good job!” Jason grinned and gave Hayden a friendly pat on the back, which caused the freshman to stumble forwards a little. He looked at the jock skeptically.

“Jason’s right, that was really good. Now we just need to figure out what happened at one.” Valerie looked back out the door and jumped when suddenly green filled her vision. It was only a moment, and when she faced the Ghostketeers again, she could see similar expressions of shock on their faces, and a green wall extending down the hallway. They all crowded around the door, and yelled when they were immediately faced with icy blue eyes. They stumbled back from the door as it opened, and Danny Fenton entered the school

“Danny, I thought you guys were missing?” Valerie asked as she got back to her feet.

“Hm? Oh, hey Val.” Danny looked a little distracted, his eyes roaming across the hall, taking in all the citizens that had come pouring out of the auditorium and various other hallways, having noticed the expanding ghost shield. For a moment, a pained expression crossed his features, but it was gone as fast as it came.

“Where’s everyone else?” Valerie asked. In response, Danny tilted his head towards the door he had just entered through.

“Val’s here. There’s a lot of other people as well. The rest of the Ghostketeers I think,” Danny spoke. Those close enough to hear him exchanged confused glances, unsure of who he was talking to.

“No, everyone looks okay.” Danny took in the crowd once more

“… A little.”

“Maybe?”

Suddenly, Danny threw up his hands and turned towards the door. “How can I not think it’s my fault? If I had actually looked into things myself after talking to Snowstorm instead of staying out of the Ghost Zone…”

His forehead thumped against the glass and he sighed, seemingly listening to someone.

“Fenton’s not going crazy, is he?” Morgan asked quietly.

“I don’t know,” Valerie shook her head.

“Just tell my dad to make the announcement, you guys might as well come inside.” Danny turned again, and this time everyone caught sight of the small green device in his ear. “No, she doesn’t have to stay in the RV.”

“Danny, who were you talking to?” Valerie asked.

“Sam, of course,” Danny blinked, as if this would be the most obvious thing in the world. In a way, it was. Valerie was about to ask him another question, when Jack Fenton’s booming voice echoed outside the school.

“ATTENTION AMITY PARK. THIS IS JACK FENTON, SPEAKING TO YOU FROM THE FENTON FAMILY ASSAULT VEHICLE. AMITY PARK IS ONCE AGAIN FACING A MASS GHOST INVASION, AND WE URGE YOU TO HEAD TO CASPER HIGH WITHIN THE GHOST SHEILD. ANYONE INTERESTED IN HELPING US FIGHT AGAINST THE GHOSTS, PROCEED TO THE AUDITORIUM WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR!”

“Our very available daughter will also be there!” Maddie’s voice followed soon after, followed by a muffled cry of outrange, most likely from the redhead in question, that was not broadcasted. A few seconds later, the door behind Danny burst open and a young girl with raven hair and eyes just a little darker than Danny’s ran in, immediately seeking out the halfa.

“Danielle?” Valerie asked, not really believing her eyes.

“Valerie!” Danielle changed her trajectory, running towards Valerie instead.

“Oh, Dani, that just hurts,” Danny pressed a hand against his chest and dropped to his knees, pretending to be in pain.

“More than Skulker’s bazooka’s?” Danielle asked after giving Valerie a quick hug.

“So… so much more.” Danny’s eyes bugged out and he fell forwards on his face while Danielle giggled. It was then that Sam came in the open school door.

“Danny, what are you doing?” Sam asked, nudging the halfa with the toe of her boot.

“Playing dead,” Danny muttered with his cheek pressed against the tile floor. “Danielle killed me.”

“Did not!” Danielle cried out in protest.

“Did too. Your actions hurt more than any of Skulker’s newest weapons, or Vlad’s strongest ectoblast!” Danny rolled onto his back and dramatically threw one arm over his face.

“No!”

“Yep.”

“You’re lying.”

“No I’m not.”

“He’s really not,” Sam added, nodding solemnly, but with a hint of a smile on her face.

“Stop lying!” Danielle shouted, crossing her arms and glaring at the two of them. By that time, the remainder of the Ghostketeers had entered and were standing behind them.

“Danny-boy, what are you doing?” Jack asked, repeated Sam’s earlier question.

“I’m dead-” Danny pointed to himself, “-Dani killed me-” then he pointed to his daughter, “she won’t confess her crimes.”

“I haven’t co-com…com… I haven’t done any crimes!” Danielle protested.

“Danielle, sweetie, killing someone is a serious offense,” Maddie said, crouching down.

“But I didn’t!” Danielle wailed, looking truly distressed now. Sam, with a mischievous grin on her face, approached Danielle and knelt down next to her, whispering something in her ear.

Danny pretended he couldn’t hear what she had said, and waited patiently for what Danielle would do.

Everyone else saw Sam whispering in Danielle’s ear, and then a wicked grin spreading across the young girl’s face. She quietly approached the prone halfa, completely aware of his advanced hearing, and decided not to do what Sam had suggested. Instead, while stifling her giggles, she jumped up and flopped down on Danny’s chest.

“ _Fek 1_!” Danny’s eyes flew open and he sat up, quickly lifting Danielle onto his lap while he pressed a hand to his chest.

Danielle’s eyes widened and she gasped. “Danny! Your wound, I forgot, are you okay?”

“Hmm, I’m fine,” Danny groaned, hunching over.

“I thought it was healed already,” Sam said. The worry that registered on the new arrivals faces wasn’t lost on those paying attention to the exchange.

“Externally, it is, but a, uh,” Danny cast a cursory glance over the people in the hallway, and his next word caused a ripple of activity, “ _heart_ doesn’t heal so easily.”

Sam blinked and nodded, then helped Danny up. “What about your bandages?”

“Don’t need ‘em,” Danny shrugged, but that didn’t stop Sam from shamelessly lifting his shirt to check his chest anyways. The skin where the wound had been was a light red, with thick lines of white where the flayed skin had healed over.

Danny quickly pulled his shirt down and leaned back, out of Sam’s grasp. “Geez, first Jazz, now you? I’d really like to keep my shirt on, thank you.”

A few girls from Casper High that had seen his picture circulating online pouted in disappointment.

“Dad, you said something about the auditorium?” Danny asked. While he knew exactly what Jack had said, it was the only thing he could think of to distract everyone from the state of his healing wounds.

“Oh, yeah!” Jack faced the people still gathered in the hall. “Anyone interested in learning how to fight these ghosts, go to the auditorium!”

“Everyone else from Fenton Works is on their way, right?”

“They’re bringing any weapons that we couldn’t fit into the Assault Vehicle.”

“Good. Bring it around to the auditoriums outside doors, and we can get everything ready.” Danny’s words were received with obedient nods and he turned to the rest of the Ghostketeers. “Can you guys help out to?”

For some reason, Jason, Morgan, Hayden, and Erin all found themselves saying they could, and they filed out of the school, while Valerie stood there with her mouth hanging open, shocked at how similar Daniel and Danielle looked.

“Hey, Danny, Danielle is-”

“I’ll meet you guys there,” Danny said, cutting Valerie off and nodding to his parents over his shoulder. They returned his gesture, and he entered the crowd, grabbing Valerie’s wrist as he passed, with his girlfriend, best friend, and daughter following closely behind.

Those that had been listening avidly since Jack’s announcement couldn’t help but notice how Danny Fenton appeared to be the unspoken leader. 

* * *

“Unless you want to learn to fight ghosts, could you all please leave the auditorium?” Danny hardly raised his voice from the back entrance, but it carried easily over the crowd of people still occupying the rows of seats. They couldn’t see who had spoken, only a shadow in the doorway where the commanding voice must have come from. Those that had no desire to learn to fight immediately rose to their feet and stumbled out of the auditorium. While they may have been sitting in the dark for several hours since the power went out, there were no windows in the auditorium, and many of those hours had been spent in fitful sleep. As they left, people looked about for the source of the voice, but only saw Danny Fenton and his friends. Plus his… cousin?

Once the queue through the doors had thinned out, Danny led them down to the stage and disappeared into one of the wings.

“Danny, what’s going on?” Valerie hissed once they were out of sight.

“I can’t really tell you everything right now. Well, no, that’s not true. I just don’t feel like telling everything twice, so for most of the information, you’ll have to wait until everyone is ready in the auditorium. With Danielle here, there’s no way you won’t figure it out for yourself, so I’ll just make this quick,” Danny paused to catch his breath, and Valerie interrupted.

“Danielle is Phantom’s cousin,” she said.

“He considers her a daughter, actually,” Danny corrected.

“Right, and how come she looks so much like you?” Valerie asked.

“Should we say something?” Tucker wondered aloud.

“No, just give it a minute,” Danny shook his head, then pulled Danielle closer to him and crouched down so that they were the same height. Valerie’s eyes flickered back and forth between the two of them, and her eyes finally widened in realization.

“Oh… Oh! You’re Danny Ph-” Danny leapt forwards and pressed a hand over her mouth.

“Yep, yes I am, but please don’t shout it,” Danny removed his hand when Valerie nodded. “And, um, sorry about Cujo.”

He chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Your dog, _your dog_ …!” Valerie stopped and took a deep breath. “Danny, I’m so sorry for shooting you all those times.”

“Right, you’ll apologize to me, but not Phantom.” For a moment, a ring of red appeared around Danny’s irises, but it was soon gone and he paled as what he said registered in his mind. “No, no. You were right to be mad, to not want to apologize. Sorry.”

“R-right,” Valerie nodded. “Who knows?”

“Everyone that went with us into the Ghost Zone, and you. Technically, all the ghosts know, but for some reason they’ve never thought of telling people.” A loud knocking from their left signalled the arrival of the rest of the Ghostketeers. Tucker went and opened the door, and Danny finally registered the fact that there was no light in the school.

“Is the power out?” Danny asked when the sunlight flooded in and onto the stage.

“Yeah, dude,” Tucker said. “You’re only just noticed this now?”

“Enhanced senses,” Danny shrugged. “But… I guess not everyone has those. We should fix the power, at least in the school. Mom, do you guys have the ecto-converter?”

“Yes, we have it in the RV,” Maddie answered.

“Cool. So, I’m gonna take it, and I’ll be right back.” Danny ran out of the auditorium while the Ghostketeers started to bring in the entirety of the Fenton Weapons Vault. 

* * *

Around the time when everyone interested in fighting ghosts had arrived in the auditorium, the power in the school came back on, earning a round of cheers from everyone present. With the area properly lit, the people in their seats could now see who was standing on the stage. They were undoubtedly surprised when they saw that it was mostly teenagers.

Those that recognized half the group as the people they had heard were missing, breathed a sigh of relief. Those that hadn’t know anything about people going missing wondered why Sam Manson was covered in bandages.

The Ghostketeers that had gone into the Ghost Zone (Star having been accepted as an honourary member at this point) had spent most of the hour reassuring their parents (and older sister) that they were fine, and the Fentons didn’t need to be sued. Although Sam’s parents had once again threatened Danny with a restraining order, although that would have been more affective if Danny had actually been present to witness the threat. But he had disappeared with the ecto-converter and had yet to return to anyone’s sight. After their somewhat teary reunions, the Ghostketeers had gravitated towards the stage and exchanged stories, although in both cases, some secrets were kept both groups of Ghostketeers had discussed amongst themselves they would not reveal the two kept identities to the other group at this point in time.

“Do you think we should wait for Danny?” Jack asked his wife after about five minutes of no one new entering the auditorium.

“I don’t know, he is the one that knows everything. Sam, is he still wearing his Fenton Phone?” Maddie turned to the Goth, who immediately spoke into the device attached to her ear.

“Hey, Danny?” Sam waited a moment before repeating his name.

“I don’t think he’s still wearing it, or at least it’s not on, so I don’t really know what- oh! Hey, about time. Everyone’s here in the auditorium, we’re just waiting for you.”

The others waited patiently as Sam listened to Danny’s reply.

“Danny says he’s close by, still working on stuff, and we knew enough for us to just start without him,” Sam supplied when the conversation ended.

“Then we might as well start,” Lancer said, nodding to the Fentons.

“Alright, everyone, now that it looks like no one else will be coming, we can start. And please, hold any questions you have until we have finished with our explanation,” Maddie said as she grabbed the microphone. “First of all, we have learned that the ghost heading this invasion is one called Kraeva. He has many powerful allies, as well as his army of wraiths, that he is using to invade Amity Park.”

Maddie’s next words were cut off by the rising noise of those present, shouting out their questions.

“ _Fall of the House of Usher_ people! Mrs. Fenton requested holding your questions until the end!” Lancer shouted. The noise died down until all that remained were a few hushed conversation.

“Thank you, Mr. Lancer. Kraeva is a powerful ghost, and we only know one person capable of defeating him.”

“Whoo, Danny Phantom!” A jock shouted from the middle of the crowd. His cheer was echoed several times over, accompanied by the grumblings of those who disliked the ghost boy hero, before falling silent again under Lancer’s stern glare.

“Yes, Danny Phantom. He will once again be saving our town, and it is our job to help him, by holding the wraith army at bay. Over the next few days those wishing to fight will be divided and trained to use our Fenton weapons while strategies will be made.” Maddie looked to Lancer.

“If you have any questions, ask them now, and in an orderly manner, people,” Lancer said.

“What does this ghost want?”

“We’re not sure,” Jack said slowly. A loud sigh echoed around the auditorium.

“World domination, among other things,” Danny’s voice rang throughout the room.

“Danny?” Maddie asked.

“Yes?”

“Where are you?”

“Look up.” Necks craned and eyes searched the rafters above them. The lights above suddenly dimmed, and the beam of a flashlight illuminated Danny Fenton comfortably sitting on a crossbeam while leaning against the ghost shield generator.

“Kraeva, as far as I know, wants two things. World domination, and Phantom’s head. Bad enough that Skulker wants his pelt.”

“How do you know that?” The jock that had cheered for Danny Phantom, Danny couldn’t remember the guy’s name, asked.

“Because he told me. Kraeva did. To _anyone_ who bothered to notice that my parents, Sam, Tucker, Dash, Paulina, Kwan, Star, Mr. Lancer, and I were missing, we were in the Ghost Zone. Rescuing Sam, after those wraiths outside took her.”

“Danny,” Sam’s voice was surprisingly close to a self-conscious whine, and people finally realized why she was covered in bandages.

“On our little adventure, we encountered our future ruler, and he was gracious enough to both let us live, and tell us his end goal,” Danny said casually. Without bracing himself, he fluidly rose to his feet and started to pace across one of the thin bars. “So far no one’s been hurt, so I have no idea when he plans on attacking. He said something about wanting to have fun, so we can assume he’ll give us time to prepare. But Kraeva assumes he has limited our ghostly allies by taking the citizens of the Far Frozen. Having been in banishment for the past one thousand years or so, we _could_ assume he doesn’t know about the recent events in Amity Park, but he has Plasmius and Skulker as his allies, so they’ll probably have given him information about our extensive knowledge of ghosts, or at least _my_ extensive knowledge of ghosts. But they’ve only faced resistance from Danny Phantom and the Red Huntress. No offense, but as far as they know, you’re all too scared to do anything. So Kraeva probably won’t be expecting resistance of the Amity Park citizen kind. That, plus all the ghosts that are currently gathering, should give us some kind of any edge against him.”

“And the GIW,” Valerie added quickly. Danny re-absorbed the information quickly, nodding as he continued his verbal thinking.

“Right, and the GIW. I may not like them, but they will have a lot of firepower that will be really useful. I’ll just have to make sure to avoid them personally, and to warn the other ghosts about them. I could _try_ and convince the GIW that the ghosts who’ll be fighting with us are good, but I doubt they’d listen to reason. On that front we can only hope that we stay on different fronts, which would actually be really beneficial to us. It’s a classic military maneuver, to attack from both sides. We could actually attack from three fronts, with the addition of Dora’s army, and Pandora’s troops if there’s even anyone there. Although Since Pandora was taken, I would assume her soldiers were as well.”

“Danny…”

“I don’t know if Youngblood and his crew would be willing to help. He’s still a kid, and he’s just playing at being a pirate. He might find any serious efforts to be annoying.”

“Danny!”

“Poindexter might be willing to help. He wouldn’t be popular in the ghost school if it weren’t for me anyways, and the other students could lend a hand to if they really wanted to help a halfa out.”

“DANNY!”

“What?” Danny abruptly stopped his pacing, having been so lost in thought he didn’t really realize what he was doing, or saying. Meaning he didn’t notice the few hints he had given to unsuspecting Amity Park citizens about his alternate identity. All eyes were on him now, and many thought it was nothing short of a miracle that Danny hadn’t fallen yet. As he stood now, one foot was lifted off the thin beam, him having paused in the middle of taking a step, and he was leaning forwards slightly, hands stuffed into his pockets.

“Dude, you’re ranting,” Tucker chuckled.

“Did I say anything useful?” Danny asked, lowering himself so that he was sitting on the bar.

“A few things,” Star answered.

“That’s good. Are there any more questions?”

“What are you doing up there?” Dash asked as he scratched his head.

“A few things. I took the ghost shield’s energy generator and routed it into the school’s power grid, then connected it to the ecto-converter and gave a few generous, uh, _samples_ of ectoplasm to power it up so that the school’s electricity would be maintained for a long period of time. It just needs to be given a new supply of ectoplasm every twelve hours or so, since it’s now powering a much larger area instead of just the ghost shield. Then I made… something…” Danny’s hand fell to his waist, where a modified Specter Deflector sat. Instead of harming ghosts, it would negate the effects of the ghost shield on any half-ghost inside of it. Meaning Danny could no longer hear that annoying buzzing, he could probably pass through the shield with minor resistance, and he could use his ghost powers while in human form. But if he went ghost, it wouldn’t be as effective. At the moment, he didn’t really want to find out how effective it _would_ be. He had a second for Danielle, and while she may not have been able to hear the buzzing at all, and she could still safely pass through the shield while in her human form, he would be a lot happier once she had it on.

“You did all that?” Dash gawked.

“Um, yeah. Sorry that it took so long,” Danny rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly down at the people below. “So, if there aren’t any more questions, you’ll start your training right away. If you think of any question later on, just come to me and I’ll answer as best as I can. Or, uh, any of the other Ghostketeers, I guess.”

“It’s better if you go to Danny,” Sam said, smiling up at the halfa.

“So, any final questions?” Jack asked.

Although only one question had actually be asked in the first place, the people sitting in the auditorium were too stunned by Danny’s display to gather their thoughts. Those that remembered a voice calling out for anyone not interested in ghost fighting to leave the auditorium over and hour ago now realized where it had come from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 Sh*t - yeah, Danny swore. But you would to if a child jumped on your very internally wounded chest


	27. Contact

The sunlight shining down through the ghost shield was only slightly tinted green, but everyone agreed that it made Danny Fenton’s pale skin look ghostly. Everyone that had volunteered to fight stood in their divided groups out in the school yard while the Ghostketeers discussed amongst themselves.

“So how did you guys divide them?” Danny asked, eyes surveying the various clusters of people before him.

“Well, 266 people have volunteered to fight, we’ve divided them up based on the weapons they are capable of using,” Tucker explained, showing Danny his PDA. On it was a list of his parent’s inventions, with various names written underneath of them.

“The stronger people are using the heavier weapons, like the bazookas or the blasters. With the addition of the Ghostketeers, and Danielle, we have 283 people in all. The dividing of the teams we’ll leave to you,” Sam concluded.

“Okay, which weapons are people being trained in?”

“Um, that would be the Wrist Rays, Fenton Foamer, Anti-Creep Sticks vr. 2.0, the Jack o’ Nine Tails, the Fenton Bazooka, ecto-blaster, ecto-blade and the Fenton Fisher,” Jazz prattled off.

“So eight weapons. I’ll pick five people to be shown how to use the Fenton Thermos’ as well. Mom, Dad, I know we have around two-hundred Specter Deflectors, but do you think you could make enough for everyone? I know that we’d need a lot more, but you can get Tucker’s help, and I know that _he_ knows a bunch of other people with enough tech knowledge that they could build more as well, if you show them the blueprints. The rest of us can train people how to use the weapons. I already know who can teach people how to use each weapon, so I guess we can start right away. As I said earlier, I don’t know how long Kraeva will give us until he makes an appearance. But we should be able to train until then. As for the GIW? I guess we’ll just have to wait for them to contact us,” Danny shrugged his shoulders and everyone nodded. Maddie, Jack, and Tucker went off to find Tucker’s techno-geek friends that could help them, while Danny told everyone else what they would be doing. 

* * *

It was an interesting first few minutes, as those that had volunteered got used to the idea that they would be trained in ghost fighting by teenagers several years younger than them, and in the case of those with Fenton Thermos’, a child, not even a teenager. But Danielle proved that she wouldn’t tolerate anyone who doubted her, and that she was very adept at using the Thermos.

Many people were also shocked when Dash Baxter _didn’t_ appear to be teaching anyone. Instead, he and Paulina seemed to disappear for several minutes, only to be seen talking to Danny soon after, before running off again. Seemingly after having taken orders from the raven-haired boy. Although it didn’t look like Paulina minded, which was a big surprise to everyone, Dash appeared disgruntled and begrudged at the fact that he had to listen to the boy, but he still did it.

But the biggest surprise of all was when Danny himself approached the group that had been informed they would be handling the bazookas, the Fenton’s heaviest, and most powerful weapons. The few teenagers in the groups, subsequently jocks because of their more defined muscles, snickered and made bets about how badly Danny would fail when he gave them their demonstration. There were no bets that proposed his success, so they were unsure of what to do with the money when Danny succeeded in making five consecutive shots from the bazooka, while running, to clustered football dummies some 50 yards away. They settled for keeping it stuffed in their own pockets, and obediently listened to his instructions.

A little after noon, they took a break from weapons training, and divided into smaller groups to learn basic self defense from Valerie, Danny, and Maddie over the next couple hours. Suffice to say, it was a very interesting first day.

When evening fell, everyone was exhausted, and they still hadn’t heard anything from the GIW. Danny was going over his plan for the division of troops (at this point, he considered them his army) when Jazz pulled him aside. They were in one of the classrooms with the other Ghostketeers, and Danny was distracted from his list of names and weapons by Jazz tapping on his shoulder.

“Danny, can I talk to you?” Jazz asked.

“Not really the best time for a psychoanalysis,” Danny murmured, flipping through a few alternate team plans.

“Not a psychoanalysis, little brother. It’ll be quick.”

“Fine,” Danny sighed and dropped his papers onto the desk and followed her to the corner of the room.

"Du hast meine erste Frage nicht beantwortet." _You didn't answer my first question._ Jazz gave Danny knowing smile and an experimental poke on the shoulder

"Was _?_ " _What?_ Danny asked.

"Meine erste Frage, gestern. 'Du bist nicht tot?" _My first question, yesterday. You're not dead?_ Jazz clarified

"Ich denke, die Antwort auf die Frage ist ein bisschen offensichtlich. Ich stehe hier vor dir, also lebe ich noch, oder nicht?" _I think the answer to that is a little obvious. I'm standing here in front of you, so I'm alive, aren't I?_

Danny's careful wording wasn't lost on Jazz, and she winked at her little brother. "Ja, aber das ist nicht das, wonach ich gefragt habe." _Yeah, but that's not what I asked._

"Wie?" _How?_ Danny asked seriously, his voice flat.

"Überwachungskameras, kleiner Bruder. Es ist mir egal, wie intelligent du sagst, du bist. Bei manchen Dingen kannst du ein wenig blind sein." _Surveillance cameras, little brother. I don't care how smart you say you are, you're a little oblivious when it comes to some things._

Danny scowled, thinking back on the lab at Fenton works. "Ich dachte, die funktionieren nicht." _I thought those didn't work._

"Anscheinend tun sie’s doch. Ich hab die Festplatte gelöscht, aber Amber hat die Videos auch gesehen.” _Apparently they do. I wiped the computer, but Amber saw the videos too._

 _"_ Amber? Oh, Star's Schwester. Warum habt ihr euch die Videos überhaupt angesehen?" _Amber? Oh, Star's sister. Why were you watching the videos anyways._

“Um… Dude? Could you guys speak English?” Danny saw Tucker staring at them from his seat on one of the desks, and noticed the confused expression on everyone’s faces, plus Lancer’s impressed one. Apparently, they had all stopped to listen.

“Wait, I wasn’t speaking English?” Danny asked, and he genuinely sounded like he didn’t know.

“Honey, you were speaking German,” Maddie said softly.

“Awesome! Haven’t done that in a long time,” Danny grinned at his sister. “But first. Jason, Nathan, Hayden, and Erin, could, uh, leave the room for a few minutes?”

The four of them exchanged curious glances, but obeyed. When the door closed, Danny turned to Jazz. “Anyways, in _English_ , why were you watching the videos?”

“You were all sort of missing, and Officer Jackson asked if there would be video footage of the moments before you disappeared, it’s how we knew you were in the Ghost Zone and to call the GIW. About them, it’s probably not a good thing that they’re coming, is it?” Jazz asked.

“No, not really. Not for me or Danielle, but we could use their help,” Danny conceded.

“Why would it be bad for Danielle?”

“She’s sort of my clone slash daughter, so… she’s just like me,” Danny explained.

“Wait, so I’m an aunt?”

“Technically.”

“Oh, yay!” Jazz hugged Danny, and he awkwardly patted her back.

“What just happened?” Sam asked.

“Jazz knows,” was Danny’s simple reply, accepted by a round of “oh’s” and “okay’s” around the room. “Star, so does your sister, apparently. Could you make sure she won’t tell anyone?”

“Yeah, sure,” Star jumped down from her perch on her own desk next to Star and slipped out of the room, simultaneously informing the other four Ghostketeers that they could now come inside.

“What was that about?” Morgan asked.

“Something personal,” Sam said, eyes narrowing at the blue-haired girl.

“Uh-huh, that’s why Dash and Paulina had a listen in?”

“They’re involved with it,” Sam quickly recovered.

“Really? The king and queen of Casper High are involved with Danny _Fenton’s_ personal business? The vice-principal is? Valerie, Kwan, and Stare are?” Morgan crossed her arms and returned Sam’s glare. 

* * *

“Actually, yeah,” Tucker responded, his voice extremely optimistic, as if he believed those two words would just fix everything. He kind of did.

“That doesn’t make any sense! There’s no way it’s a coincidence that besides Valerie, it’s everyone that went into the Ghost Zone. What is going on?” Morgan demanded. Tucker looked helplessly at Sam, and she looked at Danny. Imagine her surprise when the halfa was laughing so hard he had to leaning against the wall for support.

“Sorry, it’s just, I kept it for a year. You guys are struggling after a day,” Danny said between bouts of laughter. He recovered, caught his breath, and turned stony eyes on Morgan. The change in mood was fast enough to give her whiplash. “Yes, Morgan, they’re involved. I don’t care how unlikely that sounds, but it’s true. No, it’s not a coincidence that, besides Val, we were all stuck in the Ghost Zone together. You might find out what we were talking about soon, but only once I know I can trust you.”

Morgan, unsure of how to respond, stood there wither eyes wide and mouth flapping. Danny Fenton was the last person she expected to speak in such a serious tone, and it almost… hurt when he said he couldn’t trust them. They were all Ghostketeers, they had trained together, just because half of them hadn’t been stuck in the Ghost Zone, that didn’t mean they weren’t trustworthy. Then it his Morgan, something had happened while they were there. Danny mentioned that they had to rescue Sam, that they had faced Kraeva. In her mind, they had simply had to fly in a little ways on that Speeder and grab Sam from their clutches before fleeing. She hadn’t even considered that they could have been in danger, that maybe they actually had to _fight_ to save Sam. It shocked her that she hadn’t thought of that before, and now the question was pulling at her mind.

What _really_ happened while they were in there?

She was going to ask, when suddenly Danny and Sam’s hands shot to their ears, where they were still wearing the Fenton Phones. 

* * *

Operative O stood on the outskirts of Amity Park, watching the pulsating Fenton Works ghost shield in the middle of the town. The Guys in White operatives had arrived around sunrise, and had been stunned to see the skeletal ghosts patrolling through the streets. Their attempts to call the mayor had been met with silence, at it became apparent to them that the power was out. Their first order of business had been to call for reinforcements, and then Operatives L and M had been sent out to survey the town.

They had returned not too long ago, and informed Operative O of what was going on. The wraiths were all over Amity Park, but they were mainly gathered around the ghost shield. From what they could tell, every citizen of Amity Park had gathered within that five block radius. They had also reported some interesting behaviour. Scattered groups of citizens going through motions that resembled self-defence lessons. But the operatives had been unable to get close enough to confirm, because at that point the wraiths had spotted them and started attacking. Luckily no real damage was done.

The reinforcements, five more operatives plus two more tanks, had arrived soon after. Now they were working on contacting the citizens of Amity Park, and once contact was made, they would begin their attack.

“Sir!” Operative F, one of the reinforcements, came up behind him, communication device in hand.

“Yes?”

“We’ve managed to pick up a frequency from a device used for close circuit communication,” Operative F explained. “We’ve managed to make contact with someone.”

“Perfect. I’ll be speaking with them.” Operative F passed over the comm device. “Hello, this is Alpha Operative O of the Guys in White. We have come in response to a call for assistance from the mayor. Who am I speaking to?” 

* * *

Danny motioned for Sam to come closer to him, and he promptly pulled the Fenton Phone out of her ear.

“Hey!” Sam protested. Danny fiddled with a dial on the device, then passed it back to Sam.

“I’ve set it on a different frequency. It’s easier if only one person communicates with them,” Danny explained, passing the Fenton Phone back. He pulled another from his pocket, set it to the same frequency as Sam’s, and put it in his other ear.

“Sam, what did you hear?” Maddie asked.

“GIW I think. Some guy suddenly came on saying he was Operative F, and we would be speaking to another operative shortly,” Sam explained, the same moment that Danny said “This is Danny Fenton.”

Everyone stopped talking and looked at the halfa.

“Yes, everyone who went into the Ghost Zone has already returned… Because I’m one of them, that’s how… As far as we know, every citizen is now under the shield… Yeah, that’s exactly what we were doing… Because we’re going to fight back.” Danny quickly looked around the room. “I am… Fifteen… Yes… No… No… Because I’m the most qualified… Yeah, I do… No, we don’t… We’re waiting for them to make a move. At this point, no one has been injured.”

Danny flinched when he mentioned the citizens of Amity Park possibly getting injured. “Of course I know they have bad intentions. The sort of _invaded_ our town, but we don’t want to needlessly provoke them… There’s a lot, you aren’t enough… I’d need two days… Only if you actually listen to my plan… Good, deal.”

The others waited a moment or two, making sure the conversation was over, before bombarding Danny with questions.

“Was it really the GIW?”

“How much do they know?”

“Are they going to help us?”

“What do you need two days for?”

“What deal did you make?”

“Okay, in _order_ ,” Danny stressed, signalling for everyone to fall silent. “Yes, it was the GIW. They don’t know a lot, just that there’s a bunch of ghosts occupying Amity, and we’re training to fight them. I also sort of told them I was our leader, it makes things easier because they won’t demand to talk to anyone else. They also know that no one is stuck in the Ghost Zone any longer. They were planning on fighting back the ghosts once we made contact, which we obviously just did, but now they won’t. The two days is how long we have to successfully train our army. The deal is that the GIW will listen to my plan, and won’t attack until we’re ready, but if we take too long, they’re going to charge in here and die.”

Danny nodded, having successfully answered every question, and waited patiently for the follow ups.

“Why not tell him about Kraeva, Danny-boy?”

“I don’t want them tracking Kraeva down to fight him. He’s too strong for them, and if they went looking in the Ghost Zone, Kraeva would probably lead them to Sable, and I really don’t want that to happen,” Danny answered.

“Why not?” Kwan asked, recalling the cool, but slightly creepy, castle.

“Because it’s m-Phantom’s lair,” Danny said, waiting for their reactions. They were exactly as Danny predicted. Tucker and Sam looked ecstatic at the fact that Danny had his own lair, Sam more so because of the obvious gothic influence on the place. Kwan, Star, and Lancer looked impressed, while Dash appeared to be infuriated that Danny had a massive lair that he begrudgingly admitted was cool. Paulina? She looked ready to swoon at the fact that she had been in Phantom’s lair.

Danny was still trying to figure her out, if the flirtatious manner she had been constantly approaching him with because he was Danny Phantom, or because she actually meant it. At first, he would have thought the former, but Danny knew that his status as Casper High loser would severely contradict her infatuation with his ghost self.

Maddie and Jack obviously wanted to ask him a series of long, tedious questions about how a ghost went about getting a lair, and Jazz would probably sit in and listen.

The other Ghostketeers? Mostly, they looked confused, having not seen Sable and not understanding the hidden meaning behind Danny’s words. Valerie, who did understand the meaning but also hadn’t seen the castle, simply looked curious.

“What about the ghosts that will fight with us?” Sam asked suddenly.

“I’ve been thinking about that. I can work out a plan that will keep them as far from the GIW as possibly, probably on the other side of town, so that there’s a lesser risk of them being attacked as well. But there’s no way to eliminate the risk completely without actually denying the ghosts help,” Danny said.

“Y-you do actually have a p-plan, right?” Danny turned to Hayden. It was the first time he had heard the young freshman speak.

“Yeah, I have plan. I did say I was the leader, after all,” Danny flashed him a lopsided grin, but it didn’t little to placate the younger teen.

* * *

“I don’t fully agree with this plan,” Operative F said when O ended his conversation with the Fenton kid. The GIW were familiar with the Fentons and their ghost-hunting, but that hardly qualified a 15 year-old boy to be the leader of an army.

Operative O, however, thought otherwise. Bad things happened when you underestimated people. When he had been younger, he had expressed an avid interest in ghosts and military tactics, one of the things that brought him to the attention of the GIW when he was older. He didn’t brag much, but O had had extensive military knowledge at a young age due to his interest. But when he joined the GIW right out of high school, everyone laughed at him when he said he had an idea, or that he could handle something. They were all underestimating him. On his first large scale mission, this underestimation resulted in the death of one of his fellow operatives. O’s tactically sound plan had been dismissed in place of one made by a more experienced operative, a plan that Operative O had been trying to avoid because of the obvious downfalls that apparently only he could see. If they had gone with his plan, the operative wouldn’t have died.

So, Operative O was willing to give Danny time to train his army, and he would listen to the teenager’s plan. If it made sense, there would be no reason for them not to use it.

“As the Alpha Operative, that decision is up to me.”

“Yes, sir,” Operative F nodded, but he was obviously displeased. There was no way he’d listen to a stupid teenager.


	28. A Call to Action

Ember’s flaming hair trailed behind her as she flew through the Ghost Zone. She and Dora had contacted every possible ally they could think of, anyone that wouldn’t be working with Kraeva. Poindexter, Youngblood, Klemper, Amorpho, Box Ghost, Wulf, Ghost Writer, Lunch Lady, Cujo, Dairy King, Johnny 13, Kitty, and Danny’s less successful clones. Most of them had agreed to help, although the Ghost Writer preferred not to get caught in the middle of things. Danny’s other clones were also on the fence, having been genetically altered to bear allegiance to Vlad, but also not wanting Kraeva to take over. Everyone that had agreed would be gathered around the Fenton Portal by now, awaiting Danny’s instructions. Ember, however, wanted to get one of her more powerful guitars, which meant returning to Skulker’s Island. She was also hoping to be able to convince her boyfriend to fight against Kraeva.

“Why won’t you by my _friend_?”

Ember clenched her fists and groaned. Dora had insisted that she not go alone to the island, in case a ghost working for Kraeva attacked her. Klemper had been very quick to volunteer.

“Maybe Skulker will be your friend,” Ember ground out, hoping that the over-bearing ghost would bombard her idiot boyfriend with his obsession if they faced each other. As they neared the island, Ember shushed Klemper’s gleeful shouts that had started up when she suggested Skulker would be his friend. It would rather well, when she told Klemper that the hunter _wouldn’t_ be his friend if he was too loud.

It shut him right up.

Ember made a note to inform Danny of the sweet method or reprieve. Or not, if she felt like annoying the halfa.

They flew over to the large cabin that served as Skulker’s home and entered it with caution, Ember instructing Klemper on how to avoid the traps that had been laid to prevent unwanted visitors. She almost, _almost_ , didn’t tell him where not to step, but for the upcoming fight they would need all of their allies, so she didn’t risk either injuring or enraging the annoying ghost.

Ember had just retrieved her guitar when she heard the loud blast of Skulker’s jetpack.

“Klemper, hide!” Ember hissed, just now realizing how adversely Skulker would react if he saw the other ghost. Never mind the fact that it would make it much harder for her to convince him to fight with them.

“But he’s going to be my _friend!_ ” Klemper grinned and clapped his hands together.

“He’ll be your friend after, and only if you hide, _now!_ ” Ember shoved Klemper towards the closet, and once the door closed she added “and only come out when _I_ say you can.”

She threw the strap of her guitar over her shoulder and stood in the middle of the room, waiting for Skulker.

“Who dares to think they can enter the home of the greatest hunter of the Ghost Zone without detection?” Skulker declared as he kicked the door in, rockets popping up from his shoulder. He stopped when he saw Ember.

“Oh. Where have you been?” Skulker asked, weapons retracting.

Ember scoffed, she didn’t even get a hello. She crossed her arms and glared at her boyfriend. “I could ask you the same thing.”

“I have devised a plan that has assured the ghost boy’s pelt soon adorning my walls!” Skulker grinned, gesturing grandly to an empty space above the fireplace.

“Is that all you ever think about?!” Ember shouted.

“What?” Skulker blinked, stepping back. They had fought about the ghost boy before, but never had Ember displayed that much vehemence.

“First of all, having a human pelt on the wall is disgusting, and Danny isn’t exactly one of a kind if you think about it! There _are_ two more halfas, so there’s no point even going after him!” Ember had, admittedly, forgotten her earlier goal now that her rage against Skulker was building.

“He is the only thing to have evaded my capture, I must have my prize!” Skulker declared.

“So you’re siding with the most evil ghost of all time?”

“It is a means to an end,” Skulker confirmed.

“He wants to enslave _everyone_. It was sort of a bad thing when Pariah wanted to do it, it’s still a bad thing now!” Ember was getting increasingly frustrated with how absolutely _dense_ her boyfriend was.

“The ghosts will be free to roam the human world, and then I will finally be able to capture and kill the ghost boy.”

Ember snapped, she strode forwards, bringing her arm back, and slapped Skulker across the face with a resounding clang. His head, being part of a suit, comically spun around at the force of the impact. Skulker quickly brought up his hands to still the motion, the real him inside the helmet getting dizzy, and he stared down at his girlfriend in disbelief.

“The dipstick is my friend, and there’s no way I’m going to let you kill him, or let Kraeva rule the world! If you _really_ love me, you won’t kill Danny, and you won’t fight for Kraeva, because if you do, then I will personally suck you into the Fenton Thermos and _throw_ you into the banished lands, formal sentence or not!” Ember’s hair flared out behind her as she shouted, and all Skulker could think to do was blink at her in disbelief. Before he could say anything else, try to defend himself or his precious Kraeva, Ember spun around.

“Klemper, Skulker doesn’t want to be your friend, we’re leaving!”

A disappointed groan sounded from the closet, and the overly friendly ghost emerged, looking sadly at Skulker. He followed Ember out of the cabin, and away from the island towards their congregation of allies, leaving the Ghost Zone’s most dense ghost hunter alone. 

* * *

The two days of training passed by quickly, and with minimal incidents. A few people couldn’t properly handle their weapons at first, so there were a few minor burns and bruises to go around, but nothing serious. Kraeva also made no moves to action, which made Danny believe he somehow knew about the deal with the GIW, and _wanted_ Danny to train his army, so that he could have a little more of a challenge when the fighting commenced.

But they would give more than a challenge, they would give Kraeva total defeat.

While two days was in no adequate time to make everyone expert fighters, a few quick learners had picked up the self-defence easily, and the others could at least manage their weapons. Danny had also finished devising his plan and was relaying it to Operative O for confirmation before telling the rest of the Ghostketeers.

“And since you have three tanks and nine operatives, you will be divided into three groups, each one with their own tank and two foot soldiers for support. You’re currently on the East side of town, so you would start there and make your way towards the ghost shield, eliminating the wider spread targets at the back of Kraeva’s forces. I have a basic plan for how things will proceed from there, but it will all depend on how Kraeva’s army moves, so it’s subject to change.”

_“… This is actually a very good plan. Are you prepared to start the first stages?”_

“Yes. All I need to do is inform the Ghostketeers of the plan, and organize the citizens.”

_“You have three hours.”_

“We’ll be ready in one.” Danny grinned as he shut off the Fenton Phone in his right ear. He had, rather selfishly, commandeered Ishiyama’s office for the call, giving her some rubbish story that it had the best reception for the Fenton Phones. In reality, Danny just liked the big plush chair she had. Reluctantly, he climbed out of the chair and made his way out into the hall. Only the citizens that were a part of the Amity Park forces remained in the school. Everyone else had been urged to find a place to stay in the nearby homes and apartment buildings. A few had, of course, chosen to stay with their family members that were training to fight.

As he was walking through the halls, Danny said hello to a few of the people milling about, and turned on the Fenton Phone in his other ear.

“The GIW have agreed with the plan, so I guess I can tell you guys now. See you in the classroom,” Danny spoke quickly. He heard a chorus of “okay’s” and “sure’s” as the Ghostketeers answered. At the end of the first day of training, Danny had insisted every Ghostketeer put on a Fenton Phone, all set to the same frequency as his and Sam’s. It really did make things a lot easier.

When Danny arrived in his normal English classroom, he found that he wasn’t the first one there. Morgan, Erin, and Hayden were sitting on the floor at the front of the room.

“Hey, Fenton,” Morgan said absently. She appeared to be showing Erin and Hayden some kind of card game.

“Hey, guys,” Danny returned her greeting, trying to recognize what game the cards were from. He couldn’t tell. They looked to be hand-made, with a different, detailed dragon painted onto each one, while the backs of the cards shared the same intricate design.

“That’s not right, it’s a game of chance, and strategy,” Morgan urged, passing Erin a cluster of five cards.

“I still don’t get it, and I’ve never heard of this game before,” Erin shook her head and shoved the cards back at Morgan.

“Of course you haven’t, I made it up!” Morgan accepted the cards back, not offended in the slightest, and gingerly returned them to her backpack. “So Fenton, you gonna tell us your secret yet?”

“Maybe,” Danny said truthfully, surprising the blue-haired geek.

“Really? Not, like, ‘maybe you guys will get to keep your ecto-guns’?” Morgan asked, and Danny grinned. The first day after weapons training, Morgan had insisted she be allowed to keep her blaster. Maddie had said maybe. She should have just snuck hers out like Sam did.

“Maybe, like, ‘maybe we’ll win this fight today’.”

“I don’t know if that’s any better,” Morgan scowled.

“Wow, she’s more pessimistic then you are.”

Danny turned to see Sam standing in the doorway of the classroom.

“I’m not pessimistic,” Danny protested.

“You didn’t used to be, but you sort of are now,” Sam shrugged and fully entered the room, Tucker and Danielle trialing behind her. Danny grumbled and crossed his arms, gruffly insisting that he was not a pessimist, while everyone else entered the room.

“So, Danny-boy, what’s the plan?” Jack asked, smiling at his son, once everyone was gathered.

“Okay, so we have 283 people ourselves in the Amity Park forces, which I’ve divided into nine teams. Mom, Dad, Jazz, and Sam, you guys will be leading the four main teams, which I have divided into smaller squads and selected leaders for, but there are over sixty-people in each main team, seventy in your case, Mom. Valerie, Jason, and Dash, you guys will be leader smaller teams of five, that will use guerilla tactics on the outer edges of Kraeva’s forces. I’ll explain a little more on that later. Tucker, you’re in charge of intelligence, meaning you’ll mainly remain behind the shield, and monitor everything from above. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you exactly how you’ll be doing that later. Kwan and Erin, you’re with Maddie, and Star, you’re with Jazz. I know neither of you will like this, but Paulina, you’ll be on Sam’s team. Lancer and Hayden are with Tucker. Oh! I almost forget to tell you guys, if help is really needed on the field, you guys doing intelligence will be called out, but that’s only if we absolutely need it,” Danny explained quickly. “We can divide everyone up once we’re done here, I have the numbers for how many people will be on each team and everything like that. Everyone with a gun will be accompanied by someone without one, and I’ve assigned some of you guys with specific weapons.”

“What about you and Danielle?” Jason asked, attempting to recall everything Danny had said.

“I’m getting to that. The GIW will be focused on the suppressing Kraeva’s forces on the East side of the shield, while the ghosts will be as far as possible from them on the West. The exact details of plan I tell you later. The citizens not participating in the fighting will be confined to three block radius around Fenton Works. Dani will be supporting the ghosts, and I’ll be wherever I’m needed until Kraeva attacks.”

“Why only until Kraeva attacks? I thought Phantom was going to fight him alone?”

“You aren’t going to help him, are you Fenton?” It was Morgan’s turn to ask.

“Danny, are you sure?” Sam grabbed her boyfriend (she was so happy she could say that now) by the shoulders and faced him head on. “That’s kind of a big deal.”

“I’m sure. I thought it over a lot, and all the Ghostketeers should know,” Danny nodded and gently removed Sam’s hands from his shoulders. She gave him a skeptical look, then sighed and nodded as well.

“Okay, so, it’s probably better if I show you. Jazz, could you make sure no one looks in? And Tuck, could you close the blinds on the windows?” Once the room was secure, Danny checked that his modified Deflector, ironically dubbed the Specter Protector, was turned up at max power to ensure he wouldn’t get completely fried by being inside the ghost shield. Then he braced himself for what he was about to do, never actually having done it front of actual people before. Actual _living_ people, that is.

He reached down and grasped his ghost core, pulling at its power. The twinge of pain that came with it was not lost on him, but Danny ignored it. The white rings spread from his waist, and soon enough Danny Phantom stood in front of them. When the transformation was complete, and intense shock travelled through his body, but nothing near what Danny had expected, or previously experienced. As long as he didn’t use his powers, he should be able to maintain several moderately pain free minutes within the shield before the Protector’s power would be drained.

“… Whoa,” Morgan breathed. She stepped forwards and poked Danny’s shoulder, making sure he was real, and suddenly felt self-conscious at the fact that she was wearing Danny Phantom sneakers. She hid on foot behind her leg, making Danny glance down, and he grinned.

“You may have made a card game, but _I_ have cool merchandise,” Danny bragged for a moment.

“A-are you d-dead?” Hayden asked.

“Not exactly? I mean, I’m more dead than you are, but I’m still technically alive. Just, a lot closer to death than you are. That’s not just because of the ghost fighting either,” Danny chuckled. This explanation was getting easier and easier.

“So you can still die?” Erin sought for confirmation.

“Well, yeah,” Danny shrugged.

“Aren’t you s-scared, f-f-fighting all those ghosts?”

Danny paused a moment, pulling his fingers through his hair as he thought. Watching him, the other four Ghostketeers couldn’t fathom how they hadn’t noticed the similarities before. Although, they supposed, if it weren’t for the commanding attitude Danny had been putting on lately, they probably still wouldn’t believe it despite seeing it.

“Yes, and no. It’s a little like the whole dead and alive thing. Right now, as Phantom, I’m essentially dead, but I still need to breathe a little bit. When I’m Phantom, I also have to be brave. Not because I’m fighting all the time, but because _you_ watch me fight. I’m the hero, right? I’m supposed be brave, I’m supposed to show you how to be brave, so I do. But I also have to show you that it’s okay to be scared. So, when I’m Phantom, I’m mostly brave, but I’m a little afraid. When I’m Fenton I’m a lot more afraid, because I can’t protect you guys as well as I know I’m able to. I can’t ‘go ghost’ and ectoblast anyone trying to hurt you. But, I can still be a little brave. I can use my experience fighting and do my best to protect you any other way I can,” Danny said thoughtfully, stunning everyone. They had never actually considered how he thought about those things. “But, there’s one important thing. It’s all for you guys. As Phantom I’m not brave for me, I’m brave for you. As Fenton, I’m afraid for you guys. All because I know it’s my job to protect you.”

Danny smiled, fully satisfied with his explanation, and turned sparking eyes on the Ghostketeers. _His_ Ghostketeers. The ones he would do anything to protect. After all, they were a part of his family now. 

* * *

Ember refused to let the dipstick see her so soon after crying, so when he came through the ghost portal to see who they had managed to gather, she stayed at the back of the crowd until the red tinge around eyes faded.

“You actually got a lot of people,” Danny’s voice was laced with disbelief as he stared around at the crowd. “I know for sure that a lot of you even hate me!”

“Ye may be a mangy bilge rat, but we would rather follow you, than that big meanie!” Youngblood growled, his pirate impression slipping near the end of his sentence.

“And you’re completely serious?” Danny deadpanned.

“Of course, kid. We may give you a hard time, and you may give us the same, but you’d definitely be a better king than Kraeva,” Johnny 13 agreed, his shadow nodding emphatically along with him.

“Wait, you guys know about that?”

“The entire Ghost Zone does, don’tcha know?” Dairy King smiled down at Danny. “One ruler to another, it’s dairy fresh seeing a new king.”

“I thought that kings didn’t fight, they got people to fight for them?”

“Every honest ruler knows they must fight alongside those they wish to rule, if they wish to be loved,” Dora sniffed. She obviously disagreed with some of the Dairy King’s personal views.

“So who’s all here?”

At Danny’s question, Dora listed off the names of many ghosts, some of which Danny was sure he had either never met before, or never had a name to call them. All in all, he was impressed with the list, and unsurprised by a few absent names.

“Is Wulf here?” Danny asked, glancing around.

“Not at the moment. He went to rescue a few allies locked away in Walker’s prison,” Dora explained.

“Oh, okay. I can’t be here too long, so I guess I can’t wait until he comes back. Could you make sure tell him the plan?”

“Of course, Sir Phantom. You have my word that Wulf will be informed of the plan,” Dora gave Danny a slight bow, which he quickly halted by pulling her into a hug.

“Take this Fenton Phone, Dora. I’ll communicate with you through here and tell you when it’s time to start. You can also call me for help if need be,” Danny dropped the device into Dora’ palm. “And please, make sure Dani is safe, and that none of our allies stray over to the East side of the shield. I really don’t want to deal with the GIW finding out about you guys.”

“Yes, Sir Phantom. We will be waiting for your word.”

Danny sighed in relief and went back through the Fenton Portal, thankful that his house was no longer filled to the brim with people. For a few blessed moments of ghostdom, Danny had changed into Phantom while in the Ghost Zone. Now, as he was passing through the portal, he returned to his human form, but not quickly enough that he didn’t feel a sharp jolt as he touched down inside his parent’s lab.

“Okay, so the humans are organizing, the GIW are good with the plan, and the ghosts will be ready to go once I give the word,” Danny counted off his fingers. All that was left now was to get into position, then wait for right moment to give the call to action. 

* * *

Operative H, despite having heard the young Fenton’s plan and silently admitting is was well thought out, refused to listen to the instructions of a 15 year-old boy. It was ridiculous, thinking that a mere teenager could lead a group of hastily trained civilians against an army of malevolent ghosts. He wasn’t the only operative that though that, either. Operatives N and K, who he had been subsequently teamed with under Alpha Operative O’s instructions, shared his sentiment.

Following the Fenton boy would not prove to be a fruitful plan, so they made one of their own. The true way to take out an army was to get into the thick of things, where the most ghosts would be gathered. So, once the action started, Operatives H, K, and N would take their tank to where they believed it would be most needed.

When everything was over, the Fenton boy would be thanking them for their quick thinking, there was no doubt in H’s mind about that. 

* * *

Hayden Marx was not an extraordinary boy, nor did he do extraordinary things. He didn’t consider himself exceptionally smart, keeping average grades all his life and knowing just the most basic of street knowledge. He wasn’t especially good at anything, but he didn’t really suck at things either. Stuck with a slight stutter since he spoke his first word, that no amount of speech therapy could fix, he became and extremely self-conscious and shy boy. If he had to pick one word to describe himself, it was observant, but he would only say it if pressured by his best friend, Erin. Hayden was, in his mind, mediocre.

Like the vast majority of Amity Park citizens, he held a healthy fear of ghosts, and a mild curiosity that kept a few average questions circling in his mind, but never had the bravery needed to actually ask a ghost those questions. He wasn’t outgoing like Erin, strong like Jason, spoken-minded like Morgan, or brave, like Danny. That was another thing he shared with most of Amity Park, he called Danny Phantom their town here. Now, he was among the few that had labeled Danny Fenton as that as well. A secret Hayden was honoured to be a part of.

That was one thing Hayden had always wanted. To be a part of something. Before eighth grade, he had been a quiet boy that stuck to himself, wishing to be part of those circles of friends that made plans to hang out at each other’s houses, or go to the Nasty Burger after school. But he never had been. It was that year that Erin had found him. She had her own friends that she hung out with, but for some odd reason, one day she had sat down next to Hayden in class, and had done so ever since. Her friends had abandoned her because of this, but Erin didn’t care. That was something Hayden never understood, but he was grateful. Of course, he was still a quiet boy, Erin hadn’t changed _that_ , but she had made him a part of something. A friendship, his first one. Besides, she could speak and boast enough for the both of them.

It was Erin that had convinced Hayden to join the Ghostketeers when the Fentons first announced the group from the auditorium stage. Well, she had commanded more so than convinced. As everyone was leaving the auditorium, Erin had strictly told Hayden that he would be doing this with her, whether he liked it or not. Hayden wouldn’t admit it, but he had sort of liked it. Erin had, once again, made him a part of something. Not only that, but he was learning to defend himself. Hayden was determined that he would no longer run in fear when ghosts attacked. It hadn’t worked, of course, because the moment the wraiths invaded, all he did was run and hide. Erin had too, but Hayden knew that the things she said, expressing how crazy the other Ghostketeers were to go out and fight them, and solely been for his sake. He could see the glimmer of excitement in her eyes, but she pretended to be afraid, so that Hayden wouldn’t feel guilty and go out with them even though he didn’t want to.

He hated that.

He should have been brave enough to go out there, even if Valerie and the others had come running back when they saw exactly how many wraiths there were. He should have been there with them, instead of hearing about it second-hand. Erin should have, too.

Then, Danny had went and revealed himself to them, and it had made Hayden feel worse. When he believed Phantom was just a ghost, his actions had still been considered brave, but with little risk. But now, Hayden knew otherwise. Phantom wasn’t just a ghost, he was a kid too. He was, at least partially, alive. Which meant he could still die, or finish dying. But Danny had still risked himself, every single day, to keep the town safe. He had carried his secret for a year, disregarding his own personal well-being for the sake of others. It was at that moment that Hayden had decided, no matter how scared he was, he would fight with the others. He would go out there, and defend his town.

It was with this mind set, not at all a brave one, but one brimmed with fear, that Hayden approached Dany and awkwardly demanded to be put on a team instead of staying back behind the shield with Tucker and Lancer.

Hayden had decided, he would be brave like Phantom, and scared like Fenton.


	29. Battle for Amity Park, Phase 1

“ _This is Valerie. We’re ready._ ”

“ _Hey, it’s Jason. We’re ready too._ ”

“ _We’re all ready here Danny-boy!”_

_“Hi, honey, Jazz and I are in position.”_

_“This is Goth One to Clueless One, we’re ready.”_

“Hey, I’m not clueless! Not anymore, at least,” Danny grumbled. A round of snickers burst through the Fenton Phones as well as rippled through the ghosts behind him. He glared at Ember, who had instigated the laughs on their end. It was stupid that his enemies realized he loved Sam before he even did, and Ember would never let him forget it.

_“Hey, Phanturd, we’re ready.”_

“Very creative, Dash,” Danny subtly mocked. “And that’s everyone. I just need to hear from the GIW, then we’re ready to go. Tucker, are they on screen yet?”

“ _No, not yet… Wait! Yeah, I see them. Whoa, they have tanks?!”_

“Yeah, they have tanks. Are they close?”

“ _Seriously, dude. You better stay away from them. And yeah, they’re almost there._ ”

“Okay, good.” Danny switched on his other Fenton Phone so that the GIW could hear him speak. “We’re all ready to go. Are you?”

“ ** _Affirmative. We have reached our designated start point.”_**

“Okay,” Danny took a deep breath, and turned to the ghosts, motioning Wulf forwards. The animalistic ghost bounded forwards eagerly, giving Danny a friendly lick on the face. “Bona vidi vin ankaŭ1!”

Danny quickly stepped back, whipping the slobber and grin from his face. He turned serious, and gave Danielle, who stood beside him, a brief hug.

“Stay with Dora and Ember, and keep in touch,” Danny hastily spoke.

“Uh-huh. Be careful, Daddy, I love you.”

“Love you too, Dani,” Danny ruffled her air and looked back to Wulf. “Malfermu la portalo2.”

Wolf grinned, splaying his claws, and raked them through the air. The very fabric of the Ghost Zone tore open, making a neon green portal. Danny closed his eyes for a moment, then stepped through it. He surveyed the mass of wraiths down the street in front of him, crowded together before the ghost shield. The portal behind him closed with a sharp pop, and Danny started floating forwards. His hand fell to his side, where the Specter Protector still circled his waist, and his fingers closed around one of three vials strapped to his side. They were filled with ecto-dejecto.

In such a short time, Jack had only been able to make enough for three vials, and Danny had immediately taken them for himself. The mixture made ghosts stronger, so it stood to reason that it would work on Danny, who was, at this point, probably a little more ghost than human. He had contemplated giving some to Danielle, since it had once saved her life, but with the addition of another human’s DNA, he wasn’t sure how her body would react to another dose. So, he had decided to only use it himself, so that the risk only fell on him.

Danny slid the vial out of his belt and gripped it tightly in his hand, swinging his hand around and stabbing the needle into his shoulder, all in one fluid motion as he continued to stalk forwards. At this point, the wraiths had noticed him approaching, and turned to face the halfa, ragged moans tearing from their throats. Danny pressed down the plunger, and the green liquid flooded into his bloodstream. He could feel the power coursing through his body, his ghost core swelling, threatening to break apart. His normally white aura flared a bright green, and his eyes began to glow. He planted his feet and held his fists firmly at his side, barely a few metres from the oncoming wraiths. He took a deep breath, feeling his vocal cords start to vibrate, and when he spoke, the ghostly echo in his voice was stronger than ever.

“When you hear the scream, start.” 

* * *

Tucker, Lancer, and Mikey, who had volunteered to help them, had their eyes glued to the same laptop of all the computer and TV screens in front of them. Danny had, apparently, had started making this plan long before he had even know what he would be dealing with. When he rerouted the ghost shields power to the school, he had apparently also routed it into Amity Park’s traffic cameras, a system that Tucker easily hacked with a little assistance from the workers that normally monitored them. Now they had live feed from cameras in the surrounding blocks where the fighting would be taking place.

Currently, they watched Danny situate himself before the wraiths. Mikey, who didn’t know Danny’s identity, simply assumed that Phantom had finally come to help them.

“ _When you hear the scream, start_ ,” Danny’s voice echoed in Tucker’s ear, and his eyes widened as he saw Danny Phantom open his mouth, and heard the wail. Even from this distance, Tucker, Lancer, and Mikey were forced to cover their ears to block out the sound. The air before Danny visibly rippled as the force of his scream travelled down the street, shattering windows and ripping trees from their roots. 

* * *

Operative O, albeit a little confused at Danny’s strange instructions, immediately jumped to action when the wail reached his ears. Floating above Alpha squad’s tank in his intangibility suit, he raised his fist and whipped his arm forwards, signalling to the other operatives that it was time to move. The tanks rumbled to life and started rolling forwards towards the mass of wraiths. Operative O raised another hand in the air and sliced it downwards two of three cannons powered up and shot bright blasts of anti-ecto energy while, unbeknownst to Operative O, the third tank started driving South around the shield, and away from the wraiths. 

* * *

Jack, Sam, Maddie, and Jazz stood before the ghost shield, staring down the wraiths that were clacking their teeth excitedly on the other side of the shield.

“ _When you hear the scream, start._ ”

They shared worried glances, a scream didn’t sound like anything good. Then they heard it. It started as a low moan, then rose in pitch and volume until everyone was forced to throw their hands over their ears in an attempt to block out the noise. They watched as the very air rippled and waves of green energy flew towards them. They crashed into the wraiths, sending the skeletal ghosts flying and immediately taking them out. As the energy barreled towards them, a few people wondered how thought out this plan was, because soon it would be tearing them apart just the same is it had the wraiths. But when the energy hit the ghost shield, it dispersed. The green wall shuddered under the blast and blasts echoed around the space inside as the energy continued to make contact.

When the wail stopped, and the last of the energy hit the shield, there was a moment of silence, a fifty metre space having been opened between the wraiths. Then Sam ran forwards, hoisting her blaster in the air and giving her loudest war cry. As she burst through the shield, the Amity Park forces gathered their bearings and followed, her cry echoed two hundred times over. 

* * *

Valerie, Jason, and Dash’s teams did not immediately jump into action when the wailing stopped. They waited until four portals suddenly appeared in the sky outside the shield, and ghostly allies came pouring out, led by Dora, Ember, and Danielle. They waited a few moments more, as both forces met and started fighting. When the wraiths were adequately distracted, Valerie led her team through the shield, hiding behind parked cars and around buildings, working their way through the scattered groups of wraiths that managed to avoid the onslaught, quickly and efficiently taking them out.

Jason and Dash did the same, one street over each. Jason was nervous about being in such a commanding position, not actually ever being one the more overbearing jocks. It didn’t help that most of his team was older than him. Dash, on the other hand, was very comfortable in his position. Although he had been surprised when Danny had given it to him. The blond jock had been certain that Danny would refuse to put Dash in a position of power. Dash’s ego had recovered quickly, and now he was thinking that of course Danny would give him such an important role. Although he began wondering why the route he was assigned with seemed to have the least amount of wraiths. 

* * *

“Hurry up, slowpoke!” Erin shouted. Hayden stumbled behind her, hands tightening around the Creep Stick. He swung out blindly, expecting the metal bat to pass harmlessly through the wraith in front of him. Instead it connected solidly with the ghost, sending a jolt through his arms, and Erin quickly spun around to douse it in foam. The wraith shrieked and fell before melting into a puddle of ectoplasm.

Hayden yelped and jumped away from the puddle, earning a quick laugh from Erin. He gave her a small smile and followed her to their next target. When Hayden had revealed to Erin that he would actually be fighting on her team, she immediately claimed him as his partner, as it quickly became apparent that any person wielding a gun was partnered with someone who was not. Erin having a Fenton Foamer, meant Hayden was stuck with a Creep Stick. Not that he cared, he much preferred the bat to a gun. The few seconds of battle had been chaos. Erin had dragged Hayden up to the front of their group, between Maddie and Kwan. Determined to be brave, Hayden hadn’t protested. But that also meant that they had been among the first to clash with the wraiths.

Luckily, their ghostly foes had still been a little disoriented by Danny’s attack, and they had been able to take out a fair number of them in that first charge. Now, though, the wraiths were starting to get their bearings.

Hayden quickly swallowed down his fear and, determined not to let anyone down, pretended that his hair was snowy white instead of dirty blond. He pretended that his eyes were a fearsome, piercing green instead of brown. He pretended that, for at least a short while, he was invincible. 

* * *

Immediately after unleashing his wail, Danny launched himself into the sky and onto the roof of a nearby building, taking a moment to observe and regain his strength. Maddie and Jazz led their teams to his right, where they would be pushing that half of the wraith force east towards the GIW. Jack and Sam did the opposite, intending to force the remaining wraiths west around the shield, and up North towards their ghostly allies.

“Tucker, how’s everything on the tail ends?” Danny asked, eyes roaming to the curve of the shield where the enemy forces disappeared from view.

“ _The portals opened okay and man, there’s a lot of ghosts coming through! Your d- uh, Danielle, is a seriously good fighter!_ ”

“Of course she is, you’ve seen how well her parents fight,” Danny smiled proudly.

“ _Wait, what?_ ”

“What, is something wrong?””

 _“Dude, you just said_ parents _. As in, plural… Just wondering, but, whose human DNA does that 0.0001% belong to?_ ” Danny could hear the grin on Tucker’s face.

“Uh, not really the time Tuck.”

 _“Dude…_ ”

“I promise I’ll tell you later! But for now, what about Val and the others, or the GIW?” Danny urged, wanting desperately to change the topic. He _did_ want to know about the others, of course, but mostly it was the topic change that he desired.

_“You better. Jason and Dash are doing okay, and Val’s team appears to be, but I can’t actually find her.”_

“What?!”

“ _The Red Huntress is there, but Val is a no show.”_

“Oh, that’s right, you don’t know. Val _is_ the Red Huntress.” Danny hoped sincerely that she wasn’t listening to them talk right now, or she might just turn her ecto-gun on him later.

“ _What?!”_

“Yeah, but questions later!” Danny chuckled, cutting off anything Tucker might had just asked. “What about the GIW?”

_“That might actually be a problem.”_

“What’s happening?” Danny asked, tone flat and serious.

“ _I can see two of their tanks, but the third is gone. They aren’t being overwhelmed or anything, and there’s no wreckage, so it wasn’t destroyed. It’s just not there. I’m not sure if they planned this or not.”_

“Okay, okay. I’ll talk to Operative O. You look out for that tank,” Danny instructed. Tucker gave him a quick confirmation, then the line clicked at he went off. Danny growled and spoke into his other headphone. “Operative O, are you there?”

“ ** _Yes, Danny._** ”

“I don’t know what happened, but one of your tanks is gone.”

“ ** _… Shit. Operative M, can you locate team Beta?_** ” Danny momentarily turned his attention away from the GIW as they conversed, and instead focused on the fight before him. Here, everything appeared to be going well. A little too well. Danny had fought the wraiths several times before, and always struggled with _one_ , but the hastily trained Amity Park Forces were holding their own, and even winning, despite the overwhelming odds. Danny was ecstatic, but worried as well. At this rate they could beat the wraiths within the next few hours, but there was no sign of Kraeva.

“ ** _Team Beta has gone rogue_**.”

Danny returned his focus to the GIW. “Any idea of when they left?”

“ ** _Almost as soon as the fighting started. I’ll send someone after them_**.”

“No, don’t. All your forces are needed there. The GIW may be well equipped, but there still aren’t a lot of you to handle such a big task. You can’t afford to lose any more people. I’ll have Tucker notify me when the missing tank turns up.”

“ ** _Affirmative._** ”

Danny sighed and gripped his raven locks. Of course something had to go wrong so soon, but it was still manageable. As long as the missing team didn’t turn up on the north-west side where his ghostly allies were fighting, everything should be fine.

“Tucker, Operative O doesn’t know where the other team is either. The moment you see it, tell me.”

“ _You got it_.”

Danny allowed himself one more moment of rest, then rose to his feet. He contemplated using another syringe of ecto-dejecto to help take out a much larger quantity or wraiths, but decided against it. He may need them later and regret using them now. Instead, he braced his feet on the edge of the roof, and jumped off, swooping down towards the ground. At the last possible moment, Danny pivoted and shot towards the closest mass of wraiths, those on his left. He flew through the Amity Park forces, cheers erupting in his wake as he shot forwards, and dove into the midst of the wraith army. He thrust his palms out, beams of ice streaming from his hands, and freezing the wraiths surrounding him. Green electricity sparked along his legs and jumped across the ground, from ghost to ghost, immediately immobilizing them. Danny whipped out his Fenton Thermos, spinning in a circle and sucking in as many wraiths as possible before capping it and flying off to another section.

He was moving as fast as he could, hardly even thinking about his actions. Ectoblast, shield, punch, kick, repulsion field, back slide, and electric shock. He didn’t even know how long he was fighting for, or how far he had gone, but at some point he had left Jack and Sam’s teams behind and found himself fighting back to back with Johnny 13’s Shadow.

“Glad you could join us, kid!” Johnny cried out, his motorcycle skidding around to take out a few wraiths.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world!” Danny shouted back, ducking a sword swing and thrusting a sparking palm upwards. The wraith went flying backwards, body jolting from the ecto-electricity blast Danny had provided. Without even watching to see where the wraith landed, Danny swiveled around and punched another, his aura flaring briefly as he called on his ghostly strength. As he sought for another opponent, Danny spotted Danielle some feet away from him, struggling against her own circle of opponents. Both Ember and Dora were nearby, and both were preoccupied. Ember with playing a few power chords and turning the wraiths on each other, and Dora with sweeping masses of them away with a powerful swing of her tail.

The wraiths around Danielle all lunged at once and Danny panicked. Hardly even thinking about it, he teleported to his daughter’s side. Thick white rings formed around both of them and spread outwards, similar to his transformation, but instead of changing Danny from Phantom to Fenton, it repelled the surrounding wraiths.

Danny gasped as the rings faded, pressing a hand to his chest. He was using a lot of power, possibly too much. Not only had the teleportation taken a lot out of him, but aural projection was a particularly volatile attack that normally left him worn out. When the rings formed around his waist a second time, it was with the intention of changing him back. But Danny couldn’t let that happen. Before the upper ring had even reached his shoulder, Danny had the second syringe in his hand and the ecto-dejecto was once again coursing through his veins. With the new surge of power, he was able to force the rings closed.

“Daddy, are you okay?” Danielle asked, looking up at Danny with worried eyes.

“I’m fine,” Danny said, nodding groggily.

“But your nose,” Danielle pointed. Danny raised a hand to his nose, and the fingers of his glove came away bloody. Quickly, he wiped the trickle of blood from his face.

“Really, Danielle, I’m fine,” Danny urged. Danielle scowled, but wasn’t able to for long, because the wraiths surrounding them soon claimed her attention. Danny was about to help when a transmission from Jason stopped him.

“ _Hey, Danny, it’s been a while since either Valerie or I have seen Dash. We went back to look for him, but couldn’t find anything. We think something may have happened to his team._ ”

“Thanks, Jason. I’m on it.” Danny rocketed into the sky and headed towards Dash’s designated sweep zone. 

* * *

Something had indeed happened to Dash and his team. He and the nameless losers he had been stuck with were trapped inside the lobby of some office building. They had been sneaking up on one of the few groups of wraiths they had had to face so far when they had suddenly been ambushed from behind. Surrounded on all open sides, Dash had immediately directed everyone inside the nearest building, and now all guns were trained on the windows and door.

At the moment they were safe, but they were also trapped. Dash pulled the trigger on the Fenton Crammer in his hands and shrunk the next group of ghosts that piled through the door while the rest of his teammates shot at them with their wrist rays.

Dash, stupid as he was, did not miss the irony at the fact that he was now wielding the very weapon that had caused him so much distress last year. Nor did he miss the irony of Danny swooping in to save them, while in Phantom form, after he had needed Dash’s help during that same previously mentioned distress causing incident.

“Guys, I found them!” Danny spoke into his Fenton Phone, and his eyes settled on Dash. “What happened?”

“We were ambushed, forced to hide,” Dash explained shortly.

“Good thinking, it kept everyone alive,” Danny nodded in approval, once again surprising Dash, and he beamed.

“Of course it was good thinking,” Dash boasted, but Danny’s next words tightened his tongue.

“Why didn’t you use your Fenton Phone and call for help?”

Dash wanted to puff out his chest and boast about how he knew he wouldn’t need any help, although that was obviously untrue. Instead he settled for the truth. “It got destroyed.”

“That _is_ a problem,” Danny said, eyes wide. He shoved a hand into his pocket and pulled out an extra Fenton Phone. “Luckily I was prepared for that.”

Dash sheepishly took the extra Fenton Phone and shoved it in his ear.

“ _Dash, buddy, you’re okay!_ ” Kwan’s voice assaulted his ears.

“Whoa! Kwan, super-hearing over here. A little quieter please,” Danny winced, and Dash couldn’t help but chuckle. “I wasn’t expecting you to speak first. Paulina, no words for your boyfriend?”

“ _Boyfriend?”_ Paulina and Dash echoed the word at the same time.

“ _Um, yeah, aren’t you guys dating?_ ” Tucker’s voice rang out. Apparently, everyone was on right now.

“No,” Dash answered.

“ _Why did you guys think that?”_ It was Star this time.

“ _It’s sort of in the rules of high school-dom. Most popular jock dates most popular and air-headed cheerleader. It’s a law or something,”_ Sam said bitterly.

“You sort of are referred to as the _king_ and _queen_ ,” Danny pointed out. “That’s kind of a matched set.”

“ _Guys! There’s kind of a war going on!_ ” Valerie shouted.

“Yep, yeah. Dash, you go meet up with Jason’s team. I might have already taken care of any wraiths in this area on my way over,” Danny rubbed the back of his neck and looked apologetic.

“ _Dude, I found the tank!_ ” Tucker’s yell surprised everyone.

“What? Okay, tell me! Everyone else, go back on standby and return to fighting,” Danny ordered, flying out the building and leaving Dash’s stunned team behind.

“Come on, we have ghosts to fight,” Dash prompted, jogging out of the building, and his team was quick to follow. 

* * *

Any Amit Park citizen not fighting was confined within a three block radius of Fenton Works, and mostly everyone was crowded in some form of living room or another around a TV or laptop screen. The live feeds that Tucker was monitoring back at the school were simultaneously being streamed online, something that many worried family members had requested minutes before the plan was put into action. Now they, along with anyone in the world, could see what was going on. At the moment, they weren’t sure if anyone else was watching, but had no doubts that _someone_ else was. The Mansons, who had not volunteered to fight, were worriedly watching one of these screens, and had their gaze focused constantly on one area of fighting in particular. Sam’s team.

They may have constantly urged for her to adopt a lifestyle more similar to their own, and they may have disliked her association with the Fentons, but Jared and Pamela Manson felt an immense burst of pride as they watched their daughter fight and conduct tens of people. She was exceptional. They even only minded a little when she gave a passing Danny Phantom a high five. After all, lots of the other teenagers were doing it, so it probably meant nothing at all.

Although they did disapprove when, as Phantom returned to that area of fighting, they spent a few moments fighting together. Their synchronized movement made many people believe that the ghost and the Goth had known each other for a long time. 

* * *

“Seriously?” Sam shouted to be heard over the sound of fighting as Danny ducked under her arm and blasted an oncoming wraith.

“Yeah. The tank will be there soon,” Danny said. Tucker had found the tank making its way towards the area where Maddie and Jazz’s team were fighting. On his way over, Danny had landed next to Sam to help out for a minute.

“What are you going to do?” Sam asked, allowing herself to be pulled to the side as Danny wrapped his arm around her waist. A black sword sliced through the air where she had been a moment ago, and Sam fired her blaster at the body it belonged to.

“Not sure. I’ll try and convince them to go back, I guess. As Fenton, of course. If I can’t convince them of that, we should be fine as long as they don’t head any farther west.” Danny’s hand lashed out and electricity sparked from his fingers, over a nearby Paulina’s shoulder, and into the chest of a wraith that had been lunging for the Latina. She shrieked when the ghost collapsed at her side, frantically trying to flatten her hair, which had become statically charged by Danny’s electricity.

“Do you really think that’ll work?” Sam aimed her blaster over Danny’s shoulder while he fired and ectoblast over hers.

“Not in the slightest,” Danny shook his head and jumped away.

“ _Danny, they’re almost there._ ”

“Okay, I better go. Stay safe,” Danny urged.

“Sure thing, ghost boy,” Sam smiled and spun around to face her next target as Danny rocketed off into the sky. Hardly three seconds after he had left, Sam felt someone’s back pressing against hers. At first, she didn’t think anything of it, believing that it was simply someone who felt a whole lot safer knowing that their back wasn’t in the open. Sam couldn’t really complain about that, so she maneuvered easily to maintain the contact, preparing to turn at the slightest hint of movement. What she was not expecting, was a certain lilting voice in her ear.

“So you two are officially dating now?” Sam jumped in surprise and sprang away, rolling forwards and whirling around to face… Paulina.

“Paulina, what do want?” Sam hissed, stalking towards the Latina and ducking a few stray sword swings and ectoblasts.

“Nothing much. It’s just that, your boyfriend is Danny Phantom.”

“So what if he is? Now isn’t really the best time anyways, and you should be with your partner, where are they?”

“Somewhere over there,” Paulina waved her hand in a general direction, firing off a few shots from her wrist ray while doing so. “And about the boyfriend thing, I just wanted to make sure you know. I haven’t given up on Phantom just because he’s Fenton. In fact, I think they’re both kind of cute.”

Sam faltered. Never had she ever believed would hear those words, used in that order, coming from that mouth. But she just had.

“I swear, if you go all Nathan over Danny-”

“Then I would be going with him to senior prom,” Paulina smirked.

“Valerie would never agree to that,” Sam grunted as she elbowed a wraith, then swung her blaster around and shot it point blank.

“I think you’re forgetting, Valerie was once my friend. She may not like the geek, but she will definitely give him a pity date,” Paulina flashed that ditzy smile of hers and disappeared into the throng of fighting, no doubt to find her partner.

Sam, on the other hand, stood stock still for a moment, processing that she had just had a civil conversation with Paulina Sanchez. “What the _hell_ just happened?” 

* * *

It had become obvious to anyone watching the live feeds that Danny Phantom was on the side of Amity Park. It also looked like a bunch of other ghosts were as well. Even Danny Phantom haters begrudgingly admitted it. That’s why nearby towns, spurred by the bravery displayed by a teenage boy, not matter how dead he appeared to be, prepared their police forces with the intention of sending assistance to Amity Park.

Those that would be unable to help remained in front of their screens, hoping for victory. Their hopeful expressions turned to horror as they watched the next few minutes play out before them. 

* * *

Finally, team Beta of the GIW had circled around the shield and were where the fighting was thickest. It had taken a while to get past the wraiths on the outskirts of the ghostly army, and they had been forced to take a few detours in order to keep their arrival timely. Now Operative H, who was wearing team Beta’s intangibility suit, was standing on top of the tank and scanning the battle, searching for where they may be able to provide the most help.

As he did so, his eyes registered a black and white blur, and they widened.

“I’ve spotted the ghost kid,” H said to Operative K, who stood beside him.

“Suspected leader of the opposing forces?” K asked.

“Affirmative. Our primary task is now to detain him for questioning and experimentation,” H confirmed, pulling a small, pulsating blue cube from the pocket of his suit. 

* * *

Hayden and Erin, along with several other members of the Amity Park forces, were huddled against the side of a building, out of view of the wraiths. They were, unsurprisingly, exhausted after fighting for so long, and had sought a moment’s peace to catch their breath and prepare themselves to go back out there. So far, they hadn’t heard of anyone earning any serious injuries, just a few worrisome cuts and bumps here and there. Erin had a few such injuries, mostly from jumping in front of Hayden to keep him from getting hurt. The freshman looked guiltily at a shallow cut falling down her shoulder, one she had recently acquired when shoving him out of a swords path.

Hi eyes narrowed, and Hayden ripped off the sleeve of his shirt so that he could tie it around Erin’s arm. She blinked at him in surprise, but didn’t protest. When it was done, Hayden didn’t feel any less guilty, but was relieved that the cut was at least covered. Erin was rising to her feet, and prompting Hayden to do the same much to his dismay, when Danny touched down beside them.

“Hey, I was looking for you guys!”

“Is s-something wr-rong?” Hayden asked, cursing silently at his stutter.

“No. I mean, yeah, but nothing involving you. I just wanted to make sure you guys were doing okay,” Danny said quickly, casting a glance at something behind him, before his neon green eyes settled heavily on Hayden.

“Danny, can I t-talk t-to you?”

“Uh, yeah,” Danny nodded, throwing one more worried glance over his shoulder, before guiding Hayden to a secluded spot. “Are you regretting joining the fight?”

“W-what? N-no, never!” Hayden shook his head vigorously. “I-it’s just, what i-if I c-can’t protect her?”

Danny followed the younger boy’s gaze to where Erin was leaning casually against the wall of the building, watching the fight they were soon to rejoin with eager eyes.

“Oh, you like her, don’t you?”

“N-no! W-we’re just f-friends!” Hayden stammered, and Danny was sure that it wasn’t just the result of his stutter.

“She’ll be safe,” Danny reassured Hayden, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“H-how do you kn-now?”

“Because you’ll protect her.”

“But I-”

“And I’ll protect you.”

Hayden stopped his protests, looking up at Danny with anxious eyes.

“I know Erin will be safe, because she will have you to watch out for her. And I know she’ll have you to watch for her, because I _will_ protect you. I will keep you safe, let nothing bad happen to you, so that you can do the same for her. Erin is strong, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t be strong too. And I’ll be there to make sure that you can be. Okay?”

Hayden swallowed and nodded, then stood up straight and set a determined scowl on his face. The expression was foreign to him, and the result was slightly amusing. But Danny didn’t have to tell him that. Hayden clasped his Creep Stick tightly and strolled towards Erin.

“Come on, l-let’s go,” said Hayden firmly. Erin nodded eagerly, and they ran back into the fray. Hayden fought with newfound confidence, no longer waiting until a wraith had been weakened by Erin, but instead swinging first and leaving the remains up to her. He repeated the mantra that he had devised when the fighting first begun.

 _I have white hair._ _I have green eyes. I’m invincible._

 _I have white hair_. Hayden swung the bat out, arms stretched as far as they were able, and it connected solidly with a black skull.

 _I have green eyes_. He blinked, a smile creeping onto his face, and turned to Erin. Her back was to him and, occupied as she was with the wraiths in front of her, hadn’t yet noticed the sword swinging at her back.

 _I’m invincible_. Hayden lunged forwards and shoved Erin out of the way, much the same way that she had been doing for him earlier on. He felt the blade slice through his shirt, and whipped the bat around to smack the wraith away. Hayden staggered, and pressed a hand to his shoulder, where a thin red line had emerged. He grinned at the blood on his palm.

_I’m invincible._

“I can protect you,” Hayden said with a smile focused solely on Erin, who was smiling in return at his sudden display of bravery. The widening of her eyes was the only hint Hayden received of the sword bearing down on him from behind. 

* * *

Danny smirked at Hayden’s back as he and Erin rejoined the fight, glad that he had been able to help. Hayden was, after all, a good kid. He deserved to be brave. After waving to the people still resting by the building, Danny flew into the sky and scanned the area for the GIW tank. It didn’t take him too long to find, and he started to fly lower so that he could find a secluded place to transform, and hopefully convince the squad to return to the other GIW. Tucker had informed Danny that the remaining men of the government agency were holding their own and doing their job quite nicely, but it would be best if they were at full strength.

Danny had been about to transform when something in the throng of wraiths and humans caught his attention. A sword swinging towards Erin’s back. He panicked, and immediately shot forwards, subsequently flying right past an operative in an intangibility suit.

“There!”

The shout barely registered in Danny’s mind, but Hayden saving his friend (and possible crush) did, and he momentarily slowed, relieved and relishing in the grin plastered across the young boy’s face. But his panic returned when he spotted the wraith that Hayden had just battered aside creeping up behind him.

“No!” Danny shouted, jumping into the air so that he could fly forwards and stop the falling sword. But before he could do anything, Danny dropped to his knees, crying out in pain. He opened his eyes, pressing a hand to his chest and struggling to remain upright, and noticed that the world had suddenly been tinged blue. His eyes danced frantically around the small dome that had encased him. One of the GIW portable ghost shields.

“Target has been successfully apprehended,” a voice said from behind him. But Danny paid it no attention. Instead, he lunged forwards at the shield, pounding his fist against it, and watched helplessly, every second enhanced by his improved senses, as the as a black sword was plunged into the chest of Hayden Marx.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 Good to see you too  
> 2 Open the portal


	30. Phantom's Fury

In that moment, everything seemed to slow down, and Danny was painfully aware of every detail. How his world was tinted blue, the momentary shine as the black blade caught the sunlight. The way that Erin’s eyes widened, her mouth opening to scream Hayden’s name. Danny’s fist cracked painfully as he pounded it against the shield wall, green sparks jumping from his knuckles, just as the blade was thrust forward, through Hayden’s back and out his chest, blood slipping along its surface. When the sword was ripped from his body, it was nothing like you see in the movies, where there is a slow drop to the knees, then forwards. The moment the sword was no longer there to hold him up, Hayden’s body crumpled, knees bending awkwardly, and thudding against the ground without any grandeur.

Just Hayden, dead.

There was a brief moment, after Hayden’s body hit the ground, where nothing seemed to move.

Then Danny snapped.

In an instant, ice spread from his feet and thickly coated the inside of the shield, electricity crackling along its surface, and a wail was ripped from his throat. There was no slow build of power, but scream full of pain and anguish immediately at full volume. Confined in the small space, the sound waves bounced against the icy walls and reverberated in Danny’s ears, his ear drums bursting, and healing, and bursting again. Blood poured tickled down onto his neck and the shield shattered. There was a bright flash, and Danny was standing before the wraith that ended Hayden’s life.

“ _Mortem tuam sic genus non erit 1._” The wraith, which was surrounded by a glowing blue aura, couldn’t move as Danny reached out, his fingers curling into the black skull’s empty eye sockets. White light gathered around his hand, and it spread across the wraith, bleaching the black bones. The ghost’s jaws opened wide and it screamed in agony, green gas pouring from its maw and curling around the halfa’s arm. Instead of flinching away, Danny opened his own mouth, allowing a soft blue mist to seep from between his lips. It easily enveloped the green, forcing it back into the wraiths body while it continued to scream. It seemed to take forever, until the wraiths bones were no longer black, but a pale blue, and its moans died as Danny released his hand. The bones fell apart, dropping to a pile on the ground.

Danny’s whole body shuddered, red eyes razing through the people surrounding him. Strange black marks had appeared on his skin, creeping into view from beneath the collar of his jumpsuit. Thin jagged lines bloomed across his jaw and up the left side of his face, practically glowing against his pale skin. Danny raised his hands, one crackling with bright green energy, and the other surrounded be an icy glow.

“ _Faciem iudicium tuum. 2”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 Your death will not be so kind.  
> 2 Face your judgement


	31. Battle for Amity Park, Phase 2

He was aware of three things, the first of which being the sounds. _All_ of the sounds. The screams that poured from skeletal jaws. The shouts that were probably directed at him, but he paid no attention to. The sound of fighting in the distance, swords slicing through the air, and ecto-guns firing powerful blasts. He was even aware of hundreds of feet, human and ghost alike, pounding against the ground as they ran. But the sound he was most aware of, was the sound of four people crying.

A young girl, trying desperately to keep her sobbing as quiet as possible.

A woman far away, weeping loudly.

A man, also far away, stifling his tears to remain strong for his wife.

And a fourth voice, one that seemed to follow him everywhere he went, letting out pitiful cries of woe and pain for all to hear. This was the voice that haunted him.

Another thing he was aware of, was the sticky liquid covering his suit. He never looked down, but he could feel it. The electric warmth of ectoplasm coating him from head to toe.

The third, was the air of death. He could _feel_ it, the forms of anti-life that were rapidly disappearing. Not just because the bones were crumbling beneath his fingers as he savagely ripped through them, but because he could sense the growing emptiness in the air. It was a strange feeling. One moment there would be an echo of _something_ , certainly not life, and then the next it would be gone, ripped free from its place in the universe and disintegrating into nothing. Certainly not the peaceful slipping away one would associate with the descent into nothing.

And that was all that he remained aware of. His thoughts were lost in a chaotic swirl of agony. His body acted and reacted purely on instinct. His eyes were blinded by a flood of red and rage.

But that didn’t matter. Only one thing mattered. Judgement on those who had angered him. The haunting cry rose to a bitter wail, and one of the shouts he had been ignoring cut through the haze of hate.

“Danny, _stop!_ ”

He did, and so did the voice that followed him everywhere. Danny froze, one arm outstretched to grab the white clad figure cowering behind Sam and the other, alight with green energy, had halted inches from her face. The blue mist that had been seeping from between his lips dispersed, and his red eyes momentarily flickered green.

“Just stop,” Sam’s voice was quieter now, and she laid a gentle hand on the arm poised before her face, pushing it away. Danny’s wrist twitched, and the energy that had been gathering fired off towards a nearby building, blasting a whole clean through it. His other hand curled into a fist as his blood-coloured eyes fell on the operatives that Sam was trying to protect.

“Danny.” Sam pressed her other hand against his cheek, forcing him to look back to her, then gently turned his head to the right. As she did so, he noticed that there were a few other Ghostketeers around them, weapons regretfully raised. Star and Kwan’s hands shook as they tried to keep a firm grip on their guns. Sam’s finger traced something along his face, from the corner of his eye, to the curve of his jaw, and down to where his jumpsuit clung to his neck.

“They killed him.”

Sam blinked in surprise, apparently not have expecting Danny to talk, or at least not expecting his voice to sound so… wrong. It was deeper, and had a greater echo.

“They killed him,” Danny repeated. He sounded calm, and that somehow made it worse.

“They didn’t kill him,” Sam responded, shaking her head.

“I was going to save him, and they stopped me, and he died. They killed him.”

“Danny…”

“I said I would protect him, and I didn’t. I was supposed to, I should have protected him, but _they_ stopped me. They killed him, he’s dead. Theykilledhimtheykilledhimtheykilledhim-”

“ _Danny_.”

“-theykilledhimtheykilledhimtheykilledhimthey-”

“DANNY!”

“I FAILED HIM!” Danny shouted, his voice cracking and returning to normal. “I failed him, and it’s _their_ fault! He would still be alive, if they had listened to me, if they hadn’t _stopped_ me!”

“I know!” Sam shouted back, then bit her lip. Anger flashed in her own eyes as she continued. “I know, Danny. They shouldn’t have trapped you in that shield, and they _will_ regret doing so, they probably already do.”

Danny noticed a pile of smouldering, twisted metal down the street. The remains of a GIW tank.

“But it’s not their fault. It’s not anybody’s fault. _Anyone_ could have been standing there.”

“No, no. It’s my fault, all _my fault_! All mine, all mine-” Danny’s building rant was cut off by Sam slapping him sharply.

“ _Don’t_ say that! It is not. Your. Fault,” Sam seethed, and Danny blinked. His eyes returned to their normal green and he started to drop to his knees. Before they hit the ground his vision was filled with white, and he was suddenly kneeling next to Hayden’s body. Someone, probably the Ghostketeers, had moved him from the vicinity of fighting. Danny’s gaze was turned downwards, roaming across the lifeless form. No longer were his knees bent awkwardly underneath him, or his arms thrown out by his side. But his brown eyes were still open. Danny couldn’t meet the dull stare and, with his own gaze fixed firmly on the green stains covering his suit, he reached out and closed Hayden’s eyes.

A muffled sob issuing from somewhere in front of him made Danny’s head shoot up, eyes immediately zeroing in on the source. Erin was leaning against a telephone pole, knees pulls up to her chest and face buried there. In a flash, Danny was beside her.

“He shouldn’t have died,” Danny whispered.

Erin sniffed and nodded. “The last thing he said… was that he could pr-protect me. He didn’t even stutter.”

Erin’s voice was muffled by her hair and arms, sounding between deep gasps for breath.

“I heard you guys talking. Heard what you said to him.”

“I should have protected him, I’m sorry.” Danny hung his head, preparing for Erin’s rebuke.

“You shouldn’t be,” Erin aid quietly. “We all knew something like that could happen we just… we just never thought it could happen to _us_. You can’t be expected to protect _everyone_.”

Danny tentatively felt the emotions radiating off of Erin, and did not find the resentment he had been expecting. She was unbelievably sad, but not angry.

“He was brave, because you told him he could be. When he pushed me out of the way, the first wraith’s sword just barely nicked him, and he looked so proud of it, and I was proud of it. You should be proud of it.”

Danny looked back to Hayden’s body, lying several feet away, and easily saw the thin red line on his shoulder with his enhanced vision. He had to strain to keep his eyes from roaming to the larger wound in the middle of his chest.

“Hayden was brave, Danny. Brave because of _you_. You can’t give up after that, can’t lose yourself. Everyone needs you, so you need to be brave because of him.” Erin raised her head a little, red rimmed eyes finding Danny’s, and he realized that _she_ was comforting _him_.

“Please, be brave for him,” Erin sniffled, rubbing her nose across the back of her hand.

Danny nodded. “I will. Are you going to, um, rejoin us?”

“I’ll keep fighting, I have to. Just… I just need this,” Erin admitted. Danny nodded again, and rose to his feet, teleporting back to Sam.

“Finally calmed down?” Sam smirked, as if Danny’s rampage had been no big deal, but he could see the worry alight in her eyes.

“I… yeah. We need to finish stage one of the plan,” Danny said. “It shouldn’t be too much longer until we can start phase two.”

“Actually, we could start now,” Sam motioned to the fighting taking place a ways away from them. Danny followed her gaze, and audibly gasped at what he saw. The entire eastern portion of Kraeva’s army had been decimated. Massive pools of ectoplasm were all that remained of the some thousand wraiths that had been there seemingly moments ago for Danny.

“Did I…?”

“Yeah.”

“For how long?”

“ _Twenty minutes, tops._ ”

Danny almost jumped at Tucker’s voice sounding close in his ear. He had completely forgotten about the Fenton Phones.

“I did that, in twenty minutes?” Danny’s eyes were wide and fearful. He had never used so much power before, and the fact that he had been so angry worried him greatly. For now, his adrenaline was helping him stave off those thoughts, but it wouldn’t be long before they would consume him, much as his anger had.

“Have the other GIW made it around to the south side?” Danny asked, searching for the other two tanks.

“ _Not yet. You only took out the main portion of those wraiths. There are still some towards the east, and the GIW are currently occupied with them._ ”

“Good. Then they probably won’t end up meeting with our allies. Where are my parents?” Danny settled comfortably into commander mode, anything to distract his thoughts from what exactly he had just done, what he had been about to do.

“ _Your dad did notice the commotion, but didn’t stop fighting. You sort of took out all of your mom’s targets, so most of her and Jazz’s teams have gone to help out Jack. I can’t see your mom at the moment._ ”

Danny frowned thoughtfully, then switched through the channels on the Fenton Phone until he found the one that Maddie was supposed to be reachable on.

“Mom?”

“ _Hi, honey! Have you calmed down now?_ ”

Danny cringed at how falsely cheerful she sounded, and suddenly realized that a lot of people were probably now afraid of Danny Phantom. “Yeah. Where are you?”

“ _Heading east around the shield._ ”

“To the GIW?”

“ _Of course! Tucker told us there were still a few wraiths left, so I thought you might still need me in position for stage two._ ”

“Yeah, I do. Since I, uh, took care of most of the wraiths, their numbers are getting low enough that we could start now. Are you almost there?” Danny did his best to estimate the number of wraiths on the western side of the shield. He could see a few friendly ghosts fighting off in the distance, which meant that their forces were seriously depleted.

“ _Just a few more minutes, sweetie._ ”

“Okay. Once your close enough, start prepping the device, then contact me,” Danny instructed. Maddie gave a cheerful confirmation, and he switched back to the channel he and Tucker were constantly on. “She’s almost in position. I just need to make sure my dad knows, then help weaken the remaining wraiths a little more.”

“ _Cool, dude._ ”

Danny wrapped his arm around Sam’s waist and teleported them between Star and Kwan.

“Couldn’t we just have walked?” Sam asked, pressing a hand to her head and swaying a little, nauseated by the sudden transfer.

“Sorry,” Danny shrugged sheepishly.

“As long as you don’t do it again,” Sam moaned.

“Maybe just one more time?” Before Sam could answer, Danny had grabbed Kwan’s shoulder, and curled the hand he had wrapped around Sam’s middle between Star’s belt loops.

“Hey, ghost kid, stop right there! You are a wanted spectral entity under the GIW ecto-elimination act, and have now damaged GIW in property, and threatened operatives! You’ll be coming with us!” Danny’s eyes flashed read as Operative H ran forwards. He lifted his hand from Kwan’s shoulder and three thick blasts of ectoplasm shot from his palm. They met the oncoming GIW and sent them flying backwards into a wall, where the ectoplasm bound them to the surface. One of the operatives opened his mouth to shout something else, and the smaller blasts followed, covering their mouths in sticky goo.

“ _Iudicium tuum habet tamen factum est_ 1,” Danny’s eyes flashed once more as he spat at the operatives, then his hand returned to Kwan’s shoulder and they disappeared in a flash of bright light.

Kwan, Star, and Sam dropped to their knees the moment they were once again on solid ground, resisting the urge to hurl.

“Does that not make you sick?” Sam asked, leaning out of a window in the apartment they had appeared in.

“No, must be a ghost thing,” Danny said.

“Please keep it a ghost thing,” Sam muttered as she turned back around, but Danny wasn’t in the room. She looked to Star and Kwan for an explanation.

“Teleported,” Star offered, knowing that it was glaringly obvious. Sam looked out the window she had been prepared to throw up out of and saw that the building they occupied was right above the heart of the remaining wraith forces, where the fighting had not yet reached. The wall of ghostly allies and the grounded Amit Park forces were just about half a mile from meeting. As Sam watched, she started to wonder why the wraiths weren’t flying around to attack their human opponents. In the distance, they were obviously combatting Dora and the others while in the air. But the wraiths in the middle of the throng, with no enemies to face, made no such moves to reach the front. 

* * *

“I need the generator.”

Jack yelped and whipped around and his son appeared by his shoulder in a blinding flash. Danny was forced to dodge the instinctive punch that Jack threw. Ultimately, he was glad that _his_ instinct had not been to turn intangible, as that would have little effect when it comes to the Ghost Gloves that enveloped Jack’s hands.

“Sorry, Danny. Are you okay?” Jack asked.

Danny grimaced, understanding that his father’s question was not just because of the punch he had just barely dodged. “I’m fine, but we’re going to start stage 2. I’m getting a few of the other Ghostketeers so that you can keep fighting, and we’ll start up the generator ourselves. Mom is taking care of the east side.”

Jack plunged a large hand into one of his many jumpsuit pockets, rummaging around for the device Danny requested. When he pulled it out, the halfa found it amazing that there had been no visible sign of the device when it had been pocketed. It was about the size of Jack’s palm, which was fairly large in comparison to most other palms, and was dome shaped, with a few blinking lights on top.

“Thanks, Dad,” Danny took the device and simply held it, having no mysterious bigger on the inside pockets of his own to deposit it into.

“Be careful, Danny,” Jack lowered a heavy hand onto Danny’s shoulder, returning the halfa’s reassuring smile.

“I’ll try,” Danny promised, then spun around and dove into the throng of fighting. A sharp cry could be heard, then there was a bright flash, and Danny had presumably teleported away. Jack waited a moment, looking sadly at the spot where he had last seen his son, before returning to the fight. 

* * *

When Danny and Morgan teleported into the apartment occupied by the other Ghostketeers, Morgan gratefully found a garbage can shoved hastily into her arms and, unlike the others, she was unable to keep the contents of her stomach from rising up.

“Fenton, if you ever do that again, you’ll regret teaching me to use anti-ecto weapons,” Morgan groaned, but the threat wasn’t as effective when her face was hidden in a garbage can. When she raised her head to glare at the halfa, a smile danced across her lips.

“Nice tats,” she smirked, arms loosening around the garbage can.

Danny blinked in surprise. “What?”

“On your face. If I lose control like that, do I get them to?”

Sam glared at Morgan while Danny rushed through the apartment, finding the bathroom and stopping in front of the mirror. Thin black lines caressed the left side of his face in a design reminiscent of a bolt of lightning. He raised one of his hands and dragged a gloved figure over the lines and could feel the slight raise to his skin despite his gloves.

Danny quickly transformed back to Fenton and had just enough time to see the black lines turn white before the pain hit him. A short cry burst from his lips before he managed to cut it off, fingers tightening around the porcelain of the sink. With every heartbeat a fresh wave of pain coursed through his body and his legs buckled, forcing Danny to rely wholly on his arms to keep him from dropping. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to will the pain away, but then an image of Hayden, hanging off the blade of a wraith’s sword bloomed in the darkness. Danny couldn’t stop the torrent of thoughts that flooded his mind.

_It’s all my fault, all my fault. He’s dead because of me. I wasn’t fast enough, I wasn’t strong enough. I didn’t protect him, but I promised I would, but I didn’t, but I promised, but I didn’t I promised I didn’t I promised IdidntIpromisedIdidntIpromisedIdidntIpromised-_

“Danny?”

His eyes snapped open, the image of Hayden still in his mind. The door to the bathroom was closed and locked. He didn’t remember doing that. He also didn’t remember kneeling on the floor, but apparently he was. A throbbing pain in his right leg had Danny panicking again, but he let out a relieved breath when he saw that the pain was caused by a white knuckled hand gripping his thigh tightly.

“Yeah, just a second,” Danny called out, his voice surprisingly steady. He rose to his feet, looking in the mirror. The markings were still on his face, but while he has human, they were a pale white, like a healed scar. He splashed some cold water on his face and washed off any blood on his skin, settled his expression into one that exuded calmness, and opened the door.

“You okay?” Sam asked immediately.

“I’m fine, yeah,” Danny nodded, showing no sign of the pain that he was still feeling.

“You’ve used up a lot of power, maybe you should stay human for a while,” she suggested.

“I would use another vial of ecto-dejecto, but I’m pretty sure it shattered when I was in the shield,” Danny’s hand fell to his hip where the syringe should be, but the loop on his belt was empty. Sam gave him a disapproving look at the fact that he had even _thought_ about pushing himself harder, and they headed back out into the living room.

“So what exactly are we gathered here for?” Morgan asked. “We should be out there, shooting stuff.”

“Stage two is why we’re here,” Danny said.

“What _is_ stage two?” Kwan, who was sitting on the edge of the couch, looked up at Danny.

“This.” Danny held out his hand, showing them the generator. “It’s a shield generator that I made over the past two days. Maddie has an identical one. They have been specially designed so that the shield it generates will not merge with another if they make contact, and it will slowly constrict itself over time without someone having to make adjustments themselves. It also reacts with my Fenton Phone. If I turn it to a specific channel, and speak a certain sentence, the generator will activate the anti-ecto energy within the shield so that it will eliminate any ghosts trapped inside.”

“How does it do that?” Star asked.

“It’s programmed to react to the voice patterns when I saw a certain sentence, a certain way, and it only reacts to my voice,” Danny explained.

“That’s cool and all, but what does it have to do with us?” Morgan twirled a strand of blue hair around her finger, looking bored.

“To make sure the shield encompasses most of the ghosts, we have to get it as close to the centre of fighting as possible. Originally it would have been Jack’s job to make his way to the centre, assisted by those on his team that had done better during training. But I’ve decided to change the plan a little. Kraeva hasn’t shown up yet, which means I’m not occupied, so I’m the best bet to make it to the centre. But I’ll still need help to keep the wraiths back, especially now that I’m going to be Fenton for a while. _You_ will help my fight my way to the middle, while Maddie’s and Sam’s teams will take over for our ghostly allies, this gives them time to get away before the shield is activated. Maddie is making her way to the wraiths still lingering in the east, and she’ll activate the other shield there. Might have already.”

“How do you think of all this stuff, Fenton?” Kwan was looking extremely impressed, as if he was only realizing now that it was actually Danny making all their plans.

“Pandora, one of my allies, taught me some military tactics a couple months back.” Danny’s brow furrowed at the thought of the Greek ghost. He had no doubts that she, and his yeti allies were somehow trapped in the banished lands. Once Kraeva was defeated he would have to find a way to rescue them, if they were okay.

“Mom, are you almost there?” Danny asked, hand to his Fenton Phone.

“ _Just about. I can see the wraiths and GIW down the block._ ”

“Okay. Tell me once your shield is up.”

“ _Sure thing, Danny! See you later._ ”

“Maddie is basically ready to go, and her generator should be running before we’ve even reached our own spot,” Danny picked the generator back up, and pulled a steel hilt from his pocket. With a flick of his wrist, the blade of ectoplasm formed, almost identical to the ones that a few Amity Park citizens were using below them. This one, however, more resembled a real sword, while the others were thin and straight.

“We should hurry. Are you guys all ready?” Danny glanced around at the small group of Ghostketeers. The girl he loved, the boy that used to help bully him on a daily basis, the girl that never would have looked at him twice, and the girl that everyone usually stayed away from.

A-listers and outcasts, working together. Danny couldn’t help but smirk as he led them downstairs, and they paused in front of the doors to the apartment building. He looked back at them once more, all of whom now had their weapons raised, Morgan with a manic grin on her face.

“Tonight we dine in hell!” Morgan shouted the quote, hoisting her gun into the air. Danny caught her gaze and grinned, raising his own sword. Kwan, Star, and Sam did the same, shouting at the top of their lungs. Danny kicked open the doors the doors to the building, sending them flying, and the group of teenagers plunged into the waiting wraiths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 Your judgement has yet to come


	32. Shields Down

In a matter of seconds, operatives H, K, and N of the GIW had become three of the most hated people country wide. Everyone watching the live feed, which was now being broadcasted on the news as well, had seen what would be the imminent death of Hayden Marx. They had also seen Danny Phantom, about to save the boy, being restrained by said operatives. When Phantom rampaged, they had sympathized and cheered him on, especially when he destroyed the GIW tank, but they had also been scared of him. A display of such massive power made everyone glad that he was on Amity’s side, although they couldn’t help but worry when Phantom had taken four teenagers away, to same place not accessible by the cameras they were all watching.

When the four teens, plus another emerged from a random building and dove into the thickest gathering of wraiths, sighs of relief were breathed across the country. Most of which issued from the three block radius around Fenton Works. Danny Fenton’s absence during the fighting had been noted, and it had worried the citizens of Amity Park greatly. At first they had assumed he was undertaking some secret task for the sake of victory. When the Marx boy died, they assumed the worst.

Now that they saw Fenton was safe, they worried about where Phantom had gone. 

* * *

Danny noticed the change right away. Not just his decrease in attempts for defense, where he would sacrifice taking a sword to the arm if it meant he could get in his own hit, but his increased intensity as well. It was an intriguing sensation, one that he felt separated from. Despite being in his human form, with the purpose of regaining his strength, he pushed himself as hard as ever. His movements were precise and predatory as he sliced through the throng of wraiths, guiding his small team to the center of the pack.

He thrust the sword forwards and up, ripping apart the ribs of a skeleton, then brought it back down to cleave the skull, and following through the motion to crouch, spin, and bring the sword back up through another wraith. Danny was showing no mercy, and he didn’t want to.

He wanted to send them all into oblivion, and that’s exactly what he would do.

It didn’t take long for the small group to reach the center, and although the others had done a lot of fighting themselves, it was due to Danny’s lingering anger that they made it there so quickly. The halfa, of course, didn’t notice right away and continued to slash at the wraiths around them until Sam grabbed his shoulder.

“Danny, we’re ready.”

In one fluid movement, Danny finished the swing of his sword, allowed the ectoplasmic energy that formed the blade to disperse, and pocketed the now empty hilt.

He switched to one of the private channels on the Fenton Phones. “Dora, call the retreat for all ghosts.”

“ _Of course, Sir Phantom._ ”

“Okay. It’ll only take me a minute to get the generator ready,” Danny dropped into a crouch, holding the device in his hands, while Sam, Kwan, Star, and Morgan stood in a circle with their backs to him, warding off the curious wraiths. Danny slid off the flat panel that covered the bottom of the generator, revealing a series of buttons and a smooth black screen. His fingers flew across the buttons, inputting how long it would be before the shield would start constricting, how wide the initial shield would be, as well as activating the verbal command sequence. When he was done, Danny pressed his palm to the black screen, and a steady flow of ectoplasm entered the device. Fully charged, he slid the cover back on and placed the generator on the ground.

“I’m done!” Danny shouted, rising to his feet. “Are all the ghosts gone?”

“ _Yes, Sir Phantom. Only humans remain at the front._ ”

“Good. I’m activating the shield.” He pressed his heel down on a button on the top of the silver dome, and green lights along the bottom lit up. The other Ghostketeers, having heard Danny talking to Dora, prepared to make their way back through the crowd of wraiths. The silver covering of the shield walls started to spread from the lights along the side, where it would stretch up into the sky, before curving around and down to form the completed dome.

“Let’s go!” Danny shouted, and they started running back the way they had come. While the shield posed no threat to the humans, they had decided it wouldn’t do well to be inside when the wraiths relegalized they were trapped. Initially, a much larger group had been given the task of activating the shield, headed by Jack Fenton. This meant that there would be a larger group to defend themselves as they fought their way out of the shield, being the only viable targets to the soon to be enrage wraiths. But due to the change of plans there were now five targets that would have to deal with hundreds of wraiths if they didn’t make it out before the shield fell. Not to mention the fact that, if Danny didn’t make it out, then he would be trapped along with the wraiths, his Spector Protector not being strong enough to counter-act a shield of this caliber.

The green walls had reached their peak and were now falling back towards the street when Danny received the transmission for Dora.

“ _Danny, I can’t find Danielle,_ ” Dora’s voice was panicked, and she abandoned all royal pretenses. Danny stopped running and immediately started to transform, only to be interrupted by Tucker.

“ _Dude, the cameras! They’re broadcasting, everyone will see you!_ ”

“Then turn them away,” Danny instructed. He waited a moment, then rolled onto the ground, hopefully hidden by the wraiths that descended upon him, and changed. The others saw the flash of his transformation rings from the corner of his eyes and they turned to see that Danny wasn’t following them.

“Danny!” Sam shouted, fighting her way back to where he had just been. Instead of a blue eyed, black haired boy, she was white and green.

“Dora can’t find Danielle. I need to find her before the shield falls,” Danny said, panic in his voice. The walls were now halfway to the ground.

“We’re helping you,” Sam demanded.

“No, you’re not. I’ll be fine, and I don’t want you guys in here when the shield drops.” Danny turned to Kwan. “Make sure they, _she_ , gets out.”

Kwan nodded and immediately picked up the Goth, who started screaming in protest. He spun around and started running, Star and Morgan close behind him, guns raised against the wraiths. Danny shot into the sky and tried to teleport to where the ghosts had been fighting before, but found that he couldn’t. He had used his ability too much earlier, and hadn’t regained enough energy to use it again. Danny grimaced, and started flying as fast as he could.

His eyes scanned the writhing crowd of wraiths, looking for a spot of white among the sea of black. For some reason, none of them flew up to meet Danny, although he knew very well that they could. But that didn’t matter right now, and it certainly made his task much easier. While most of the wraiths were staring up at him, teeth clacking and moans rising to his ears, he noticed a group not too far off all facing the same thing. He turned abruptly, and poured on the speed. He didn’t even need to see Danielle to know she was there.

Without hesitation, Danny barreled through the circle of wraiths, arms encircling the girl in the center, and he shot off out of reach.

“Dani! What happened, are you okay?” Danny asked, holding his daughter by the shoulders and checking her over for wounds. She had a bruise or two, but otherwise looked okay.

“Dora called the retreat, and as we were flying away, a wraith grabbed me,” Danielle explained quickly. Danny’s worry lessened, then he spotted the descending walls over Danielle’s shoulder, and realized that at the moment, they weren’t moving.

“Hurry,” Danny instructed, grabbing Danielle’s hand and pulling her along behind him. On her own she couldn’t fly as fast as him, but with Danny’s help she could go a lot faster. But the reverse also applied. While helping Danielle beside him, Danny wasn’t able to fly as fast as he normally could, and he wouldn’t be able to teleport them out of the shield. As they flew, he glanced at the silver belt around Danielle’s waist. He had made her Protector to be much stronger than his was, but Danny really didn’t want to find out exactly how much stronger.

The green of the shield was ten feet above the pavement now, but they still wouldn’t make it, so Danny did the only thing he could think of.

“Sorry, Dani.” Danielle’s eyes widened as Danny suddenly pulled her into his arms and, while flying as fast as he possibly could with the added weight, threw her towards the shield where Johnny 13 and the Box Ghost were standing. With the assistance of a repulsion field, Danielle accelerated quickly and collided with the two ghosts, passing under the shield just before it touched the ground.

“Daddy!” Danielle shrieked, jumping out of the Box Ghost’s arms and pounding against the shield.

“ _Danny, the shield is up over here,_ ” Maddie informed her son.

“It’s up here too, I’m activating the anti-ecto defense system,” Danny replied. He changed the channel on his Fenton Phone and took a deep breath.

“Sieg1.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 Victory (German)


	33. Enemy's Allies

“ _Time in._ ” 

* * *

Danny was afraid to open his eyes, afraid of what he might see. He hadn’t felt any pain, but he just _had_ to be dead. There was no way he could have survived such a strong blast of anti-ecto energy. It was like ghostly radiation, a large enough dose and it’s lethal. Not that that dose had to be very large in the first place.

So why, he wondered, could he hear Sam and Dani shouting his name? Maybe the anti-ecto energy had only finished killing him, and now he was simply 100% ghost. He would still be dead, but that’s much better absolute death. Which also meant he might still be in Amity, since he already existed there as a ghost. But that didn’t make any sense. Anti-ecto energy wouldn’t harm his living half, not directly at least. Obliterating his ghost half would certainly finish killing him, but that would mean he couldn’t be in Amity Park, because the ghost of Danny Fenton would no longer exist.

So he was understandably reluctant to see what his knew reality may be.

It was, oddly enough, the pain that prompted him to open his eyes. Not because it was a new pain, or a very intense pain (although it was intense), but because it was a familiar pain. It was the pain he had been feeling ever since he saw Sam and Sable, covered in cuts and bruises, that had doubled as he watched Hayden die. A pain that he surely wouldn’t be feeling if he was absolutely dead. So, he blinked. And he saw Sam and Dani, and Johnny 13, and the Box Ghost. And Kwan, and Star, and Morgan.

“I’m alive?” Danny asked, a little dumbly, as he stared at Sam.

“Looks like it, kid,” Johnny grinned down at the halfa, then turned to tell the rest of the ghosts the news. Danny sat up slowly holding his head, and noticed that he was no longer in Phantom form.

“You idiot!” Sam shrieked and punched his shoulder.

“Hey, ow! Injured ghost boy here!” Danny protested rubbing his arm. He looked up at Sam and flinched. Her face was red, and her eyes were brimming with tears. She looked mad, and happy, and sad all at the same time. Danielle, meanwhile, had tears flowing freely down her face, and she collapsed onto Danny, throwing her arms around his neck.

“We thought you were dead! You didn’t make it out of the shield, and then the anti-ecto energy started up, and you screamed and fell. Then the wraiths started dying, or whatever it is ghosts do, and we thought you were dead to!” Sam cried.

“But I’m not,” Danny offered lamely, with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

“You and your stupid hero complex.” Sam hugged herself for a moment, looking conflicted, then she lashed out and punched him again. Danny’s second protest was cut off when Sam pulled him forwards and kissed him.

When they broke apart, Danny grinned. “There are two things I need to do more often. Share life altering secrets, and just barely avoid death. They both result in us kissing.”

“The first time wasn’t really a result,” Sam grumbled. She placed her hand on Danny’s chest and frowned. “You’re not breathing.”

“I don’t need to,” Danny huffed, but when Sam’s eyes narrowed, he took a deep breath for show. That was when the Box Ghost coughed awkwardly, reminding the couple of the fact that they were alone. Danny’s breath shot out of him in a loud puff, and both he and Sam blushed furiously.

“How am I not dead?” He asked the group at large.

“The Box Ghost is unaware of how such a thing transpired!” The Box Ghost declared, puffing out his chest. “Perhaps if it involved the use of containers cardboard and square!”

“Sorry, Boxy, don’t think it did,” Danny shook his head and frowned. He could have sworn he heard something before he opened his eyes, but he just couldn’t remember what. What he did remember was the wraiths, and he became aware of the celebrations going on around him. “The wraiths?”

“Jazz’s team just took out the last group,” Morgan grinned, and the other Ghostketeers echoed her expression. But Danny didn’t, he was still frowing.

Something just wasn’t right. Danny knew that Kraeva had a lot ghosts on his side, so how come only his wraiths fought? Not only that, but they weren’t as strong as Danny knew they could be. It only took a few blasts from a Foamer to take them out, and they never used their flight while fighting, unless it was against other ghosts that could also fly. It just didn’t make any sense. Plus, Kraeva himself hadn’t come out to play, and from what Danny understood, the demon-like ghost had been looking forward to that. He glanced around at the exhausted Amity Park forces, leaning against each other for support. They had all been fighting for hours, and were no doubt extremely worn out.

Danny’s eyes narrowed. Someone at Fenton Works had powered down the ghost shield, and Tucker had taken down the one around the school, while he was unconscious. The people that had been confined around Fenton Works were probably making their way over here now.

“Tucker?”

“ _Yeah, dude?_ ”

“Where are you?”

“ _Mikey and I are heading your way._ ”

“Go back to the school, now. Turn the shield back on.” Those within earshot of Danny stilled at his words, and the serious tone in his voice.

“ _Uh, sure. But why? We won!_ ”

“No, we didn’t. This is a trap.” Danny switched his Fenton Phone to the open channel. “Guys, everyone needs to get back inside the shield.”

“Danny, what’s going on?” Danny heard Sam’s voice twice, first coming from in front of him, than her words overlaid in the Fenton Phones while she finished her sentence. It was a little disorienting to someone with such sensitive hearing.

“Kraeva’s coming,” Danny explained quickly. When the ghost shield started expanding from the center of the school. Danny pressed his hand down on Danielle’s shoulder, at the moment not caring who might see, and forced her to transform back into her human form, then checked to make sure her belt was in working order. Just before the green walls passed over Danny, he checked his own belt. It was working fine, but that didn’t stop him from being pushed a few inches as the shield struggled to pass over his ecto-laced form. Everyone who hadn’t heard Dany had certainly noticed the shield going back up, at the cheers resounding around the street slowly died.

“Mom, head to Fenton Works, turn the shield there back on,” Danny instructed through his ear piece. As he rose to his feet, several people turned to watch him. He noticed their attention, and immediately raised his voice. “Everyone needs to head to the school yard! Keep your weapons on you!”

Danny’s commanding tone sent them into uneasy action. The crowd of battered humans started to hobble back to Casper High.

“Dora, get all the ghosts to hide somewhere. The others are coming, and I don’t want you all out in the open when they do.”

“ _The princess is a little occupied, Sparky, but I got ya._ ”

“Just be fast, Pyre.”

“ _Ooh, the nickname. You really are stressed._ ”

“Ember…” Danny growled menacingly.

“ _Okay, cool it, baby pop. Don’t go all red-eyed on me._ ” The halfa blinked, and realized that he couldn’t feel a neat in his eyes that meant they had, indeed, turned read. He forced the quick anger back and focused on the Amity Park forces. Mostly everyone was back at the school already.

“Operative O, it’s best if you and your men come inside the shield.”

“ ** _Another_** _**threat**?”_

**Not quite.**

Danny gasped and spun around, searching for Kraeva, but spotted nothing.

:: **Oh, do relax, boy. I’m not going to show myself that easily::**

“Kraeva, you coward! Come and face me!” Danny shouted to the green tinted sky.

“ ** _Kraeva_** _?”_

“The ghost behind all this. I sort of didn’t tell you guys about him, did I?” Danny chuckled, but his eyes continued to scour the area outside the shield.

“ ** _No, Danny Fenton, you did not. Teams Alpha and Omega are almost to your location. Did you come across team Beta at all?_** ”

“Yeah, I did,” Danny scowled.

**::Boy, have you left me a snack?::**

“Danny, the GIW are still out there,” Sam reminded the halfa. Danny heard her, but chose to ignore it.

“What if I said it was a peace offering?” Danny asked, red eyes zeroing in on the three operatives still stuck to the side of a building outside, a smirk plastered on his face.

**::I appreciate your bold sacrifice, and will gladly accept your meager offerings, but I’m afraid the peace you seek will not be returned::**

“Take them anyways.”

“Who are you talking to?”

“ ** _Where did you come in contact with team Delta? We have been unable to reach them._** ”

**::Not very heroic of you::**

“Danny?”

“ ** _Mr_. _Fenton_ , _please_ _respond_.** ”

“Will you all just shut up?!” Danny shouted. He ripped both Fenton Phones from his ears and threw them down, while Sam and Danielle jumped away in shock.

“Are you okay, Danny?”

Once again, he ignored Sam, and instead stepped up to the shield. People stared at him in confusion when he started yelling. “Kraeva, if you’re going to attack, attack! I know you have more allies, and your cowardice impresses no one!”

This time, Kraeva’s silky voice reverberated not only in Danny’s voice, but in those of every citizen of Amity Park.

**::Very well, ghost boy. If you’re so eager for a fight, I’ll easily provide you with one::**

At the same time, the rumble of the GIW tanks reached Danny’s ears, and Operative O flew over in his intangibility suit and landed beside the teen. The sky suddenly darkened, swirling clouds gathered and formed a funnel cloud. As it touched the ground the tornado broke off from the top, and changed to a bright ectoplasmic green. Vines burst from the ground and twisted together into a large form. The evening sky itself seemed to shift, the darkest part, where the first stars were visible, shifting and descending to the ground.

Vortex, Undergrowth, and Nocturne stood around the Casper High ghost shield, and more of Danny’s enemies appeared beside them. Plasmius, Spectra and Bertrand, the black and purple dragon recognized as Aragon, Walker and his goons, Bullet, Desiree, and Skulker.

“Which one is Kraeva?” Operative O asked.

“None of them. You’ll recognize him by his flaming hair,” Danny responded, searching for the aforementioned ghost. When the Fright Knight rose from the ground, the GIW immediately jumped into action.

“There he is!” One of the operatives cried, and he immediately charged forwards. The tank cannons whirred as they settled their sights on the flaming night, and the remaining GIW ran through the shield, ecto-blasters charging up and cufflink-saws whirring. They bee-lined for the Fright Night, and the surrounding ghosts just watched in amusement.

“Idiots!” Danny hissed, and he chased after them, grabbing Sam’s Blaster as he bounded away. He charged head down, shoulder first at the shield, and met immediate resistance. With a frustrated growl, Danny forced his way through the green wall and stumbled when it released its hold.

“Kraeva, under the ecto-elimination act, you are wanted by the GIW!” Operative O shouted. Fright raised an eyebrow and looked at Operative O Skeptically.

“You idiots, that’s not Kraeva!” Danny slid in front of the white suited operatives, Blaster hoisted on his shoulder and aimed at the Fright Knight.

“What?” The operatives blinked in confusion, a few of them a little angry that this kid thought he knew better.

“I, Kraeva?” Fright asked. His green eyes narrowed behind his helmet, and he thrust his Soul Shredder forwards. “My lord hath more important worries, and you pathetic beings offer insult?”

The Soul Shredder burst into green flames, and it slashed down towards the operatives. There was a sharp clang as Danny stepped forwards and blocked the sword with his blaster. He was sure that beneath his helmet, Fright would be scowling. Plasmius, who had been watching idly with the rest of the ghosts, flew forwards as if to help.

“Fright Knight, Plasmius. I think my I might actually have to thank you,” Danny grinned at the two ghosts.

“For what, little badger?” Plasmius asked tauntingly

“It’ll be so much easier to kill you, now that I don’t have to go looking for you,” Danny growled.

“Ooh, the scary eyes,” Plasmius raised his hands in mock fright. However, when Danny’s eyes turned red instead of green, he really did flinch, his own eyes widening. This caused a Cheshire smile to melt onto Danny’s face, wide, wicked, and mischievous. Summoning his strength, Danny heaved and shoved the Soul Shredder away, throwing Fright off balance, then righted his Blaster and fired a few quick shots at the knight and vampire whannabe. They dodged swiftly, and Fright swung his arm out towards Vortex.

“Proceed.” Fright’s simple and vague instruction was followed immediately. Vortex cackled and launched himself high over the ghost shield. Danny felt the temperature drop as vortex soared overhead, and noticed the direction where he was headed.

“Tucker, can you-” Danny cut off his shout as he realized that he had taken off his Fenton Phones, and they were lying abandoned on the pavement inside the shield. He ducked as a blast of pink ectoplasmic soared through the air where Danny’s head had been a moment ago.

“Fool, Kraeva has claimed the boy as his own prey!” Fright rounded on Plasmius, who had fired off the blast.

“And where is he? He said he wanted my head, so why hasn’t he come to take it?” Danny asked, crossing his arms and staring up at the two ghosts.

“He is exactly where you would expect a king to be in the middle of a war,” Fright said slyly. Danny was about to give him a sarcastic retort, when he realized what the Fright Night had meant.

“Get back to the shield!” Danny shouted, thrusting his arm out behind him towards the GIW. The surrounding ghosts made no move to stop them, but instead started laughing as Danny and the GIW retreated behind the green shield. The ominous rumble sounded all the way around the shield, and Danny took of running the moment they were safely behind the wall, moving at an impossible speed. He easily skipped around the people in his way, and in a matter of minutes he was on the other end of the shield. He stopped abruptly, just before colliding with the shield.

On the other side was Fenton Works, a cackling Vortex leaning against the ice encased building.

“My art endures,” Vortex grinned slyly at Danny and rapped his knuckles against the frozen walls. “They aren’t dead yet, but it won’t be long.”

Danny gave Vortex one hard glare before spinning around making his way back to Casper High, ignoring the questions that were thrown his way. 

* * *

Maddie had just been stepping inside the door to her home when the ice formed along the steps. She dove inside quickly, and just narrowly avoided being consumed by the encroaching wall of cold. She stared at the still open doorway, now blocked by a thick layer of aqua ice, and scowled.

“Rotten spooks,” Maddie spat at the wall as she rose to her feet. She looked around and was surprised to find that she wasn’t alone. When the shields had gone down, the ghost huntress had assumed that all the citizens of Amity Park would be proceeding to the point of victory. But it looked like around fifteen to twenty people had remained inside of Fenton Works. Maddie couldn’t decide whether that was a good or bad thing. They weren’t outside to be threatened by whatever ghost had frozen them in here, but they _were_ frozen in. She sighed and set her weapons on the entryway table.

“Is this everyone?” Maddie asked no one in particular.

“Yeah,” Amber nodded, glancing quickly around the room.

“The first thing we need to try and do is break through this ice,” Maddie pointed over her shoulder at the opening behind her. A few people nodded and ran to retrieve any items that could be useful, while Maddie contemplated using blaster she had just set down, but decided against it. It could cause serious damage in such a confined space.

When the first person returned, Maddie held out her hand and accepted the knife that was offered her. She faced the ice stabbed at its surface, but the blade simply slipped along it, leaving no marks at all.

“Hmm…” She deposited the knife beside her discarded weapons and held her hand out for the next thing. A blow torch. The concentrated blue flame didn’t appear to affect the ice any more than the knife had. With a dejected sigh, she put that too on the table, then surveyed the other items people had found. Mostly kitchen knives, everything normal in nature. At least normal in terms of the fact that it was not equipped to fight ghosts.

As she thought this, Maddie took in the hue of the ice, so blue and perfect. Of course! It wasn’t natural ice, it was _ghost_ ice. Normal items wouldn’t be able to damage it. She grabbed her ectoblade and slashed at the surface of the ice, grinning triumphantly when it slashed through about an inch. But the scar she had made sealed quickly. Frustrated, she stabbed the sword at it and was once again pleased when it worked, the blade sinking in about halfway. But at that point the ice started to creep along it towards the hilt, and Maddie was forced to pull it back out and what the hole she had made close up as soon as the blade was free.

With a little reluctance, she took up her blaster, and warned everyone to take a step back, then shot the ice. When the ectoplasm hit the surface, steam rose off the ice with a sharp hiss, and everyone watched eagerly as it cleared. The blaster had created a decent sized hole, but was still nowhere near going all the way through the ice, and it had closed back up almost instantly.

Everyone groaned, put off by the repeated failures, while Maddie thought furiously.

If only there was something that could inhibit the ghostly properties of the ice.

There were several moments of silence, at least in Maddie’s mind, before she experienced her eureka moment.

“The BB Blaster!” Maddie shouted, startling those around her. She tossed the gun currently in her hands at Amber, who fumbled to catch it, then bounded down to the lab. It took her a few minutes to find the gun, but when she did, Maddie gave a triumphant shout, which changed to a groan when she saw that the canister for the blood blossom serum was empty, the last of it having been used on Danny.

She bit her lip and looked around the lab, then dove into one of the many messy cabinets before she pulled out a jar filled with rose like flowers. Flowers that had blood-red petals, and purple stems and leaves.

“Amber!” Maddie quickly ran back upstairs, to where her daughter’s friend was still standing in the entryway, gun in hand. “Keep shooting that ice! I need to make more of this serum, then we can get out of here.”

Amber nodded and fumbled with the weapons in her hands. Maddie heard the sound of blaster fire, follow by a high-pitched yelp and a thud as she set to work on her task. 

* * *

Danny stormed into the classroom Tucker had his set up in, and found that the Ghostketeers were already there.

“Danny, what’s going on?” Jack asked the moment his son stepped through the door.

“The wraiths were just to wear us out. Now Kraeva’s true allies are here. For now we’re safe behind the shield, but it’s only a matter of time before they somehow get passed that. Fenton Works is frozen solid, so you guys need to find a way to break through and get everyone out,” Danny informed them all.

“Uh, ‘you guys’? What about you, dude?” Tucker, who was lounging in one of the desks, leaned forwards.

“I’m going to fight Kraeva. I know where he is.” Danny grabbed the Fenton Phone that Sam had held out for him, but refused the second one. “I want Jazz to stay in contact with the GIW.”

“Speaking of the GIW, I believe three of their operatives are still out there,” Lancer pointed to the screen where team Beta was, indeed, still stuck to the building. Spectra was standing before them, no doubt providing her own special brand of therapy on the desolate looking souls.

“Save them if you want, I don’t care,” Danny growled, and as he spoke he felt a stab of pain in his chest.

“Danny, where are you going?” Sam asked, grabbing Danny’s wrist before he could leave the room.

“I told you, to face Kraeva.”

“But _where_?”

“Where most kings go while their soldiers fight,” Danny cocked his head, his body perfectly still while his eyes flicked about in that eerie manner most of the Ghostketeers had yet to get used to. “To the castle.”

He didn’t even pull his hand from Sam’s grip, but a soft white aura enveloped his body, and suddenly Danny was gone.


	34. Warmth

There was a fair bit of panic when the people of Amity Park discovered that the kid giving the orders, the one that was essentially their commander, had suddenly disappeared. It didn’t help that the Ghostketeers who had been the last to see him would not divulge what happened during that final encounter. No matter how little they thought of the Fenton boy, or how unworthy they deemed him to be leading them, the moment he disappeared, everyone realized they had no idea what they were supposed to do. The Ghostketeers included, although they did at least know what was going on. Although for some reason they couldn’t contact him through the Fenton Phone.

“They could freeze to death. Not to mention that without the shield, the ghosts could easily attack them.”

“I doubt that we could just _melt_ the ice, not if it’s made by a ghost, right? It probably won’t be normal.”

“Probably not. Do we have any kind of heat based weapons?”

“No clue. Danny would probably know. He could probably _make_ one, but since he isn’t exactly here at the moment, that’s not an option.”

“Nope. But ghost fire is.”

“What?”

“You know. Fire, made by ghosts? We know two that could do that.”

“Really, we do?”

“Princess Dorathea and Ember, you idiot. Danny said the princess is a dragon, right? And Ember has her flaming ponytail, so she must at least be able to do something regarding fire.”

“Cool, yeah!”

“Now we just have to get outside the shield, sneak around the city trying to find our allies, then reach Fenton Works and melt the ice, all without being seen by the more malevolent ghosts.”

“Hey, it’s your idea! If you’re gonna complain about it, then we don’t have to do it.”

“Of course we do! Someone has to do something since Danny isn’t here, and I thought I’d get all the complaining out of the way so that you can’t do it later.”

“… Fair enough.”

“Uh, losers, what are you doing?”

Tucker and Sam looked up in unison and stopped what they were doing. Tucker in the process of loading his pockets with various gadgets, and his wrists with rays, and Sam with the Ecto-stoppo-power-ifier she had just taken from Jason cradled in her arms. Paulina, who had asked the question, was looking at them both in confusion, along with the other present Ghostketeers.

“We’re going to thaw Fenton Works,” Tucker explained simply.

“We can see that, but why are you assuming you guys’ll be alone?” Valerie crossed her arms. While that hadn’t been what Paulina was implying with her question, it certainly was a valid point that Lancer, Jazz, and Jack were interested to hear the answer to.

“Because it’ll be faster?” Tucker offered.

“And when Skulker finds you, he might just decide that Danny’s pelt isn’t the only one he wants hanging on his wall,” Valerie countered, shivering at the thought. While Skulker had never truly actively gone after the huntress after their first encounter, the self-proclaimed greatest hunter had made it known to her on several occasions that he wanted her ‘pelt’ as well.

“We’re coming with you. You were right, Sam. Danny’s not here right now, and we need to do something to help. Besides, I think that _this_ might be a little more effective than those wrist rays.” Jazz took the Fenton Peeler off of her belt and held it out so that the mechanical suit could form around her body. After spending the entire fight against Kraeva’s wraiths encased in the suit, she was rather adept at using it now. A moment later the suit retracted.

“What about everyone else?” Sam asked, referring to the Amity Park citizens around the school that were currently having panic attacks.

“I’ll stay and get them organized, with the rest of the Ghostketeers,” Lancer spoke up while Sam groaned. She had been hoping that bringing up the clueless citizens would cause everyone to hesitate and choose to stay behind, but one of the Ghostketeers just had to be a very confident, preppy, and organized vice principal. While she did understand that it would be beneficial to have more Ghostketeers along, for more fighting power in case they were found, Sam knew that two people could move far more quickly than four or five. Especially when one of said four or five was the man famous around town for his bumbling antics.

“We’re going with you, Sam,” Jazz said, crossing her arms. Sam looked at Tucker, hoping for him to have something to say that would get them to stay behind, but he looked relieved at the additional help, and shrugged in the Goth’s direction.

“Fine. Who’s all coming?” Jazz, Jack, and Valerie immediately stepped forwards. Lancer, who had already voiced his part, made no move, and eyes settled on the Latina in the corner who, for reasons no one could fathom, was no surrounded by any other A-listers. In fact, she was the only one in the room.

“I’m not going out there. The fighting ruins my hair,” Paulina whined, laying a defensive hand on her dark locks. Sam rolled her eyes, but was relieved. She was still reeling over the brief conversation she had had with her nemesis during the fight and was a little confused on Paulina’s admission. That, and the fact that Sam didn’t want to have to work side by side with her again.

“We’ll meet you by the doors in five minutes,” Sam said with a light sigh. She left the classroom, and a moment later Tucker followed. 

* * *

Jazz took her time heading out to the doors, knowing that her father would take a while to get ready, while she already had the Fenton Peeler on hand and needed nothing else. Her slow walk was consumed with thoughts of her little brother. They all knew that he had gone to fight Kraeva, although they weren’t sure how, since the slow spread of aura that had enveloped his body was completely different from the bright flash of teleportation. Jazz had originally assumed that he went to the Ghost Zone, and her thoughts were confirmed when the other Ghostketeers told her about Sable, the castle that they had gone to, and the one that Danny had most likely been referring too.

But they couldn’t join him without access to the Fenton Portal, and for some reason Maddie wasn’t answering over the Fenton Phones, so they couldn’t tell her to go into the Ghost Zone and help Danny. Which only left one option. Wait until they can break through the ice, and then go to help. A process that will no doubt be long. Who knows what could happen in that time span.

To say Jazz was worried was an understatement. She knew Danny was an excellent fighter, having witnessed his battles before she knew who he was. But he had already admitted that defeating Kraeva on his own would be near impossible, and he had gone to do just that. Although, after witnessing Danny’s display of power earlier, Jazz wasn’t sure if it was truly impossible. That was another thing that worried her. At this point, all the Ghostketeers knew of the fragile state that was Danny’s mind when it came to his obsession. After Hayden’s death, in Danny’s eyes, he must have failed big time.

When swapping stories, the other Ghostketeers had told her what happened after they rescued Sam, how Danny had been near catatonic and having panic attacks. Star divulged the information that she had heard him freaking out in the room he had been taken to upon returning to Princess Dorathea’s castle, although she hadn’t mentioned it to anyone earlier. And then Danny snapped when Hayden died. It had been horrifying to watch him rip into the wraiths, on many occasions forgoing the use of his ectoblasts and simply tearing them apart with his bare hands. At one point, before Jazz had gone to get Sam in the hopes that she could stop him, Danny’s eyes had met hers, and she had felt fear like never before. The deep and bloody red boring into her. She knew that Danny was good, that Danny _did_ good things, but in that moment, Jazz had been afraid of her little brother, and she hated it. The markings that had spread across his face didn’t help either.

When his rampage had stopped, she had been a little more than relieved at Sam’s success. She had also been surprised that he had seemed to recover so quickly. For a few moments Jazz had believed it was over, that Sam snapping Danny out of his rage was all that needed to be done. But the conversation she had overheard before the other ghosts had appeared had immediately quelled those beliefs.

Danny, her little brother, the hero and saviour of Amity Park, had left three GIW operatives outside the shield at the mercy of the ghosts, and refused to rescue them. Jazz may have hated them as well, knowing the part they played in Hayden’s death, but this was just too much. And now she knew, Danny was far from okay. His eyes may not have been red, but his mind still was. Someone had to help him before it would be too late, and her brother would be lost forever.

Jazz took a deep breath and turned her mind to other matters, not wanting to dwell so long on thoughts so abysmal. The only tangent that came to mind was the GIW. It was nothing short of a miracle that they had yet to find the ghosts that were on Amity’s side and wrongfully attack them, but it would only be a matter of time now that they were all in the same area. Before leaving, she would have to speak with the operative in charge. An action that she hoped wouldn’t be a mistake.

Funnily enough, the GIW was also one of the reasons she had opted to join Sam and Tucker outside the shield. They had to retrieve the other three operatives and bring them to a safe area. At least an area safe from the ghosts. Jazz couldn’t say how well they would fare when faced with the citizens of Amity Park angered at the loss of a young boy. But whatever they would do is no doubt far better than being at the mercy of a few bored and malevolent ghosts.

Jazz made her way through the school, searching the various classrooms for the one the remaining six GIW operatives occupied, having seen them come in here after returning to the shield. It didn’t take her too long, and she found them discussing possible courses of action.

“Excuse me?” Jazz paused outside the door, knocking on the open frame, and the operatives turned to face her.

“Yes?” The dark skinned operative asked.

“I’m Jasmine Fenton, but you can call be Jazz, and yes, Dany’s my younger brother. Can I speak to Operative O?” Jazz looked at the group expectantly and was pleased when the operative that had ‘greeted’ her moved.

“Affirmative.” Operative O turned to the others and whispered something to them, then stepped out into the hall with Jazz. She cast a quick look around, and led him to another empty room, not wanting anyone to eavesdrop.

“What’s your opinion of Danny Phantom?” Jazz asked abruptly when they were alone.

“Excuse me?”

“The ghost boy. As a GIW operative, what do you think of him?”

“As an operative, I believe he is an entity that needs to be contained before he causes any severe damage or puts people’s lives at risk.”

Jazz deflated at the operatives answer, having hoped he would be different from the others since he was willing to listen to Danny. Apparently she had been wrong. “Okay, sorry for wasting your time.”

“As a citizen,” Operative O continued, stopping Jazz before she could leave the room. “I believe that the ghost boy protects people, and should be left to protect them.”

“Really?” Jazz could hardly believe what she had just heard. “Then how come you’ve been after him so many times? I’ve seen you guys here in Amity all the time.”

“Because it’s my job to capture Phantom. You’d be surprised, but while most of the GIW believe all ghosts are evil, not all of us do. We understand that they can be good as well, but if we are ordered to capture one we believe is good, we will,” Operative O explained.

“What about a lot of them, that are helping us fight, and without them Amity Park will probably lose this fight?” Jazz asked carefully. What she was implying was obvious, and Operative O smiled.

“My orders for this mission were to come to Amity Park and assist with missing persons presumed to be in the Ghost Zone. The moment we saw that those people were okay, we were acting on our own beliefs. At the moment, I have no such orders to capture any ghosts I may encounter, and it is up to my personal opinion of whether I should do so.”

Jazz smiled, glad that everything was going the way she wanted it to. “Then, if I were you, I’d just take care to notice _who_ exactly the ghosts are fighting before going after them, the next time that I see one.”

“Agreed.”

Pleased, Jazz left the classroom and rushed to where she was supposed to meet the others, noting that she was the last one to arrive.

“Hey, Jazzy-pants, where did you go?” Jack asked, having expected his daughter to be the first one here.

“Taking care of something. We don’t have to worry about the GIW attacking our allies,” Jazz spoke as she unhooked the Fenton Peeler from her hip.

“How did you do that?” Tucker asked, impressed.

“It wasn’t hard. Operative O may be employed by the GIW, but apparently he doesn’t hate ghosts as much as we all think.” Jazz brushed her thumb against one of the red buttons and looked up at the other Ghostketeers. She pressed down and the suit formed around her once again. “Anyways, what are we all standing her for? Don’t we have some ghosts to find?” 

* * *

Danny was a little surprised when he opened his eyes and found himself standing just outside of his lair, at the foot of the stairs leading up to the silver doors. He looked at the two statues standing in alcoves on either side of the doors. The faces were smooth and featureless, and they both wore a tunic and hooded cloak combination identical to Clockwork’s, except instead of a cog to pin the cloak in place, the statues had pins in the shape of his DP symbol. One held a sword in both hands, and the other was wielding a scythe. It was this statue that Danny approached. He slipped the cloak, which was made of real fabric instead of stone, over the statues head and threw it over his own shoulder, pulling up the hood, then took the scythe from its hands.

For a moment, he admired the weapon. It was heavy, and a dark obsidian. The blade was, quite frankly, ridiculously long. Four feet, to be exact, and the sharpened edge had started to glow a soft green the moment his hands closed around the staff. The true weapon of a reaper. Looking at his reflection on the blade now, Danny couldn’t help but think that, with the dark hood pulled over his head that was exactly what he looked like.

With a grim smile on his face, the scythe in one hand, and the smaller blaster in the other, Danny entered the castle. This time there was no epic entrance, but instead he stalked through the halls with hostile determination, the blade of the scythe occasionally dragging against the stone. Abruptly, Danny spun to the left and proceeded to phase through a wall that it should not have been possible to phase through, human or ghost. Just one of the benefits of owning a cloak gifted by the master of time himself.

Instead of having to weave through the halls, Danny proceeded to march in a straight line, phasing through anything in his way, until he finally stepped out of the wall and himself walking between the pillars into the middle of the throne room. Danny spun about, his cloak flaring around him dramatically, and he faced the red-skinned ghost sitting in the throne. In _Danny’s_ throne.

**::I never did thank you for your little gift::**

Danny didn’t respond, but instead waited for Kraeva to continue. Instead of speaking, he waved a clawed finger, and from behind one of the pillars floated a GIW operative. The black aura surrounding him indicating Kraeva’s use of telekinesis to manipulate the man. Danny immediately recognized him as one of the operatives he had pinned to the building and, while it may not have been the specific one that trapped him under the shield, he had still played his part on Hayden’s death. Danny’s anger flared, and a red glow seeped into his blue eyes.

 **::It was fun to watch, that boy dying. You were _so close_ saving him too::** Kraeva smirked and spun the operative around to face Danny, whose eyes were now completely red.

**::I believe this man was one of the few responsible, isn’t that right?::**

Danny’s reply came in the form of a growl as the white rings formed around his waist, and he transofmred into Phantom. The glow of the scythe’s blade grew brighter, and the upper half of Danny’s cloak turned white. The markings on his face became prominent again, and appeared to have spread across his throat.

 **::They had you captured for a moment, too. I must say, I’m a little pleased you were able to break free. After all, it would have been boring if you died, too::** Kraeva yawned and drew his arm back, while Danny’s anger was mounting, towards the demon-like ghost, and the operative before him.

 **::Although if they hadn’t, then I guess that would have been boring too. I might have had to show up and kill the boy myself, just to have a little fun. And then you left me such a nice present. I was going to do something myself, but I can see that you might enjoy dealing with him yourself::** Kreava’s grin widened and he threw his hand forward. At the same moment, the operative still in his control flew towards Danny, and the halfa reacted instantly. With red spots filling his vision, Danny leapt forwards at what he could only see as an oncoming projectile, and swung his scythe in a deadly arc towards the thing that threatened him.

The next thing Danny was aware of, was the splash of warm blood across his face.


	35. When Everything Falls Apart

It was neither the blood that had splashed across his face, nor the short cry that erupted from the operative’s lips that broke through the haze of Danny’s rage. What truly caught his attention, was the distinctive thud of a body dropping to the floor. A sound that, despite having only heard it once, he would never forget. In his shock, the scythe slipped from Danny’s hands and spun through the air before the blade sunk smoothly into one of the pillars closer to Kraeva.

Danny was afraid to turn and look behind him, where the momentum of the thing he sliced had carried it beyond his view. But, while looking forwards, he had immediately noticed the lacking presence of the operative Kraeva had taken. Slowly, he turned, and his eyes fell upon the white clad figure. It was lying face down, and blood had started to seep out from under the body. Danny stepped towards it, his steps echoing ominously around the open space. He turned the body over, and saw closed eyes, and an expression contorted in pain.

For a few quiet seconds, Danny just stared down at the operative, and the bright red slash across his chest.

**::I do believe he’s dead::**

Danny then did something very unexpected. He threw his head back and laughed. It was a high and desperate laugh and his whole body shook with it. He dropped to his knees beside the prone figure, the blaster in his hand clattering against the tiles.

Kraeva, pleased that the result was as he had expected, let out his own cackle, and he trotted down the hall towards Danny. What he hadn’t expected, were Danny’s next words.

“It’s so ironic!” Danny gasped through his laughter, pressing a hand to his head. “He just looks so… dead! Hayden didn’t. He looked like he was sleeping, with just a small cut on his chest.”

The halfa lowered his hand onto the operative’s chest, the warm blood soaking through his glove. “This is what he should have looked like. Bloody and in pain, like this. Not… not like that. But he isn’t dead, he _isn’t dead_.”

Danny raised his bloody hand and pressed it against his face. Kraeva scowled, looking closer at the seemingly dead operative, and noticed the slight twitches in his facial expression, and the barely noticeable rise and fall of his chest. Danny, meanwhile, continued to look at the operative with wide eyes through his bloodied fingers.

“You’re not dead, you should be dead, but you’re not. You should be dead!” He shouted down at the operative, and suddenly lunged forwards, grabbing him by the shoulders. “You should have died, you should be dead. I should’ve killed you, I _should_ kill you. You should be dead, I should kill you, you should be dead, I should kill you _I SHOULD KILL YOU!_ ”

Danny was screaming into the operative’s face now, shaking him violently. The rough handling caused the operative to open his eyes for a brief moment, and his vision was filled with the face of Danny Phantom¸ bloody handprint on his face.

“F…Fen…ton,” the operative groaned before passing out again. Danny unceremoniously dropped the operative, remembering how he had transformed just before Kreava had thrown the man.

“Uh-oh…” Danny giggled and scrambled back. “He saw me. He shouldn’t have seen, but he did. He’ll tell the others, then they’ll capture me, and experiment on me. He’ll tell them, he’ll tell them, _I should kill him_.”

While Kraeva was enjoying this little breakdown, he was getting bored and wanted to fight. So, before Danny’s rant could grow and longer, he spun around and swiftly kicked Danny in the chest, sending the halfa flying across the hall, between a set of pillars, and crashing into the wall. He cried out as his head bounced against the stone and slipped a hand under his hood to rub the growing bump.

**::Don’t bore me, boy. I said I wanted fun, not your pathetic ramblings::**

Danny rose on unsteady feet, blinking until the world was no longer blurry, and no longer felt the urge to laugh. Instead he focused a dark glare on Kraeva and held his hand out beside him. Crackling energy gathered in his palm, and Danny thrust his hand forwards towards his enemy. The electricity laced ectoplasm moved as fast as a lightning strike and in an instant was before Kraeva. It suddenly shrunk, almost disappearing from sight, than exploded outwards. Green electricity arced off of the explosion and struck Kraeva in the chest, knocking him back a ways.

Without wasting a moment, Danny flew forwards, red eyes ringed with blue as he fired beams of ice towards Kraeva while he was still stumbling. His aim proved true and the blue energy struck Kraeva’s shoulder and knocked him further off balance so that, when Danny landed his own kick on the ghost’s side, he tumbled over.

Danny didn’t let up his barrage of attacks. Firing ectoblast after ectoblast, hitting Kreave with a flurry of kicks, punches, and wave after wave of fatal electricity. He only stopped when, minutes later, he was panting heavily. Kraeva had taken every single one of Danny’s hits, providing no resistance, and was now lying slumped against the marble floor. Danny approached cautiously, believing his assault may have been enough to finish the ghost off.

**::That was fun::**

Danny stopped when Kraeva’s voice rang out in his head.

 **::But I think I’m going to enjoy this more::** Kraeva suddenly disappear and Danny backed up against a pillar, looking around trying to find the now invisible ghost. He did, eventually, find him. At the same moment that a pair of long, sharp claws raked across his arm. 

* * *

“You’re sure they should be here?” Sam asked, peering around the corner of the building. Tucker, who was standing just behind her, looking at the traffic cameras on the streetlamps, taking in their angle, and what could theoretically be seen through them.

“Yeah. That was one of their cameras,” Tucker pointed and Sam followed his gaze, nodding.

“Okay.” Sam looked at the ghosts standing before the shield, taunting what few humans were brave enough to hide inside a building, but not enough to step out and face them. “Danny told them to hide, so I guess we’ll look through the nearby buildings. Jazz, since you have the suit, could you stand guard?”

“Sure.” Jazz nodded and took over Sam’s position while everyone else crept behind the building. They waited at various back entry points to several buildings, nodding to each other, before easing their way inside. Jazz, from her lookout point, could hear everyone whispering various ghosts’ names over the open channel as they hunted through the most likely empty buildings.

The first few minutes proved fruitless, with the Ghostketeers rushing from building to building as quietly as possible while Jazz changed alleyway watch points as they moved further down the street and around the shield. She had her eyes trained on a very human looking ghost who was talking animatedly at the people through the shield—they appeared to get more depressed with every word the ghost spoke—and listening idly to the whispers in her ear, when she noticed on a little different from the others.

“ _Ms. Fenton?_ ”

Jazz jumped in surprise, her heavy suit banging loudly against a garbage can, and she winced as the ghosts around the shield paused. When they resumed their antics, muttering something about “cats” and “Plasmius”, she sighed in relief and turned slowly, searching for the source of the voice. Although, even if Jazz couldn’t see her, she suspected she knew which ghost had spoken.

“Princess Dorathea?” Jazz hissed into the dark alley. Only now, searching for the ghost in question, did the future psychologist realize how low the sun was. She shuffled away from the alley’s entrance, ignoring the questioning voices in her ear.

“Yes, Ms. Fenton?” Jazz nearly yelped when the green-skinned ghost suddenly appeared in front of her, but she managed to contain her shout of surprise. “Where had Sir Phantom gone?”

“Fighting Kraeva, I think,” Jazz answered, casting a wary glance over her shoulder before delving further into the shadows of the alley.

“Alone? Sir Phantom may be powerful, but Kraeva is one of the oldest ghosts in existence! Only the Ancients could defeat him, and Danny is hardly as strong as them,” Dora’s eyes widened comically, but the matter was serious. “We must assist him!”

“Yeah, he’s going to need our help. But there’s a problem. Some ghost completely froze Fenton Works, with people inside, so we have to through and get them out before we can access the Fenton Portal,” Jazz explained quickly while Dora nodded in understanding.

“It must have been Vortex. You were right to seek us out. Only a more powerful ghost’s fire can melt another ghost’s ice, but I’m afraid I am not more powerful than he.”

Jazz, understandably, looked crestfallen, and was about to relay this new information to the rest of the Ghostketeers (who were still whispering furiously for her to answer them) when Dora continued.

“If Ember helps, as well as a few other ghosts with fire cores, our combined power should be able to melt the ice.”

“Hey, guys, I found Princess Dorathea,” Jazz finally replied to the Ghostketeers as she smiled at the ghostly princess. Dora, in response, nodded to Jazz and went off to find the ghosts in question. “She’s going to find a few other ghosts that can help her melt the ice. We should have everyone out soon.”

“ _And then we can help Danny._ ” It was no surprise when that was the first thing Sam said, and she wasn’t the only one who was thinking that.

“ _We should start heading over now, since we can’t move as fast as the ghosts,_ ” Valerie said as she emerged from the building she had been searching. The others followed from their own respective buildings.

“Good idea, Valerie,” Jack grinned, and he immediately started jogging North towards Fenton Works. The others quickly moved to follow, but Jazz hung back.

“Something wrong, girl?” Valerie asked as her board formed under her feet.

“I’m going to get those three GIW agents that were left out here,” Jazz explained.

“They’re still out here?” Tucker asked in surprise. “I thought Danny would have brought them inside the shield.”

“He… wasn’t able to,” Sam hesitated, not wanting to divulge the fact that Danny had willingly left them out there. Although it wasn’t a total lie. The other ghosts _had_ gotten in his way. “I’ll be coming with you, everyone else should go to Fenton Works.”

Tucker looked like he was about to protest, but Sam raised her foot in a manner that was surprisingly threatening prevented the words from leaving his mouth. He nudged Valerie and they set off after Jack while Jazz and Sam went on the opposite direction. They mostly moved in silence, both unsure what to say as well as wanting to remain out of their enemies’ awareness.

It was only when they were nearing the GIW that Jazz broke the silence.

“Nothing was stopping him, right?” She asked as they ducked behind a dumpster while a shapeless ghost floated by.

“What are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about. Nothing was stopping Danny from retrieving those GIW agents.”

“I really don’t,” Sam lied, wanting desperately for this to remain secret.

“Look, Sam. I don’t like them either, especially not after what happened. But this is Danny we’re talking about. No matter what, he would never leave someone behind. The fact that he did is a big deal, and we both know that he did.” They rushed out from behind their cover and pressed themselves against an indented doorway. From her position, Jazz could just see the side of one of the agents. They were so close.

“I already said, I don’t know what you’re talking about. That ghost, the Fright Knight, stopped Danny and the other GIW from getting to them,” Sam remained adamant, knowing full well what a big lie that was. But she wanted to believe otherwise. Jazz scowled, knowing she was going to get nowhere, and instead focused on the task at hand.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to just walk over and break them free. We’ll need a distraction,” Jazz said, scanning the ghosts.

“The Peeler will be better for breaking the ectoplasm that’s holding the operatives. I’ll distract the ghosts.” Before Jazz could argue otherwise, Sam and run out of their hiding place, hoisting the Ecto-stoppo-power-ifier onto her shoulder and firing it at the nearest ghost, which had been a short, human looking man, cried out and transformed into red-eyed blob of ectoplasm as the blast hit. This, as planned, drew the attention of the other ghosts.

“Hey, ghosts! Over here!” Sam waved her arms and firing again, although this time she hit nothing. Eager for a little fun, the ghosts grinned and flew towards her while she ran away, leading them down the street. When the coast was clear, Jazz crept forwards towards the GIW operatives, who had started struggling against their bonds when the ghosts left.

“Hold still,” Jazz instructed, and she raised her arm. The green beam poured from the gun and tore away at the ectoplasm holding the operatives in place. When the last of it was stripped away, they fell to their knees, and Jazz noticed something odd. “Wasn’t there supposed to be three of you?”

“That ghost took Operative N,” one of them responded. Jazz couldn’t help but glare at the one who had spoken. Operative H, who she had immediately recognized, was the operative that trapped Danny under the shield.

“Go to the shield, now,” Jazz demanded, though not fully expecting compliance. She was right.

“You should leave the ghost fighting to the adults. It’s because of you kids that we’re in this mess,” Operative H responded, checking to see if any parts of his intangibility suit still work, or if Phantom’s ectoplasm had shorted out all of its functions. It had.

“How is any of this our fault?” Jazz demanded, her gun of the Peeler still aimed towards the operatives.

“If a more competent adult had been leading, instead of that Fenton boy, the ghost would have been defeated much faster,” Operative H explained, completely serious.

“What, are you stupid?!” Jazz strained to keep her voice down. “You’re the ones that made a stupid decision that resulted in a boy _dying!_ All because you couldn’t stand listening to a _teenager_? What kind of superiority complex do you have, that you can’t recognize a good plan all because the person who made it is younger than you?”

The operatives blinked in surprise, having fully expected this teenage girl to jump at the chance of having an adult’s orders to listen to.

“Danny happens to be _my_ little brother, and if it weren’t for him, those wraiths would still be flooding the streets, then we’d have to deal with them, _and_ all of these other ghosts!” Jazz swung her arm out, motioning to where the ghosts in question had been mere moments ago. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. My brother’s girlfriend is risking her life so that I can save you two, and she needs my help.”

Jazz spun around and ran down the street, leaving the baffled operatives. At the moment, she understood why Danny had left them outside the shield. Not that it was okay that he did it, far from it, but she could understand his reasoning behind it. 

* * *

Maddie cheered in triumph as she raised the vial high above her head. Finally, she had finished making the blood blossom serum. She darted up the stairs, grabbing the BB Blaster as she passed, and into the entryway where Amber had apparently handed off the bazooka to Damian Grey. While the ice was still sealing itself quickly after each blast, they had managed to create a small crater due to the frequency of the blasts.

Still, they had been working on it for around an hour and a bit, and had technically barely dented the ice if one were to look at exactly how thick it was.

Maddie quickly loaded the BB Blaster. She hadn’t made enough serum to even fill the canister halfway, but if she was right, it would be just enough to break through the ice. Just in time, too, because the temperature and dropped severely and everyone was shivering. In the living room the only small child that had remained inside Fenton Works was bundled in almost every blanket and sweater that they had been able to find, but he still looked extremely cold. Everyone else, save for Amber and Damian, were huddled around the child with the remaining warmth-bringing items around their own shoulders.

“Don’t stop shooting,” Maddie told Damian as she raised the BB Blaster. Damian complied, and continued to fire as Maddie readied her shot. When it was lined up, she waited until just the right moment to fire. Not even half a second after Damian had unleashed a shot from the bazooka, she pulled her own trigger, and the red blast quickly followed the green one. As the bazooka’s energy exploded against the ice, it deepened the crater ever so slightly, and the red blast hit the same spot, further damaging the area as the red liquid splashed against the ice. Quickly after, another of Damian’s blasts hit the spot, further spreading the BB serum.

Suddenly the ice crashed, and bright green light flooded into the house. 

* * *

Dora and Ember led their retinue of fire using ghosts to Fenton works while the others were close behind, ready to provide cover. When they arrived, the Ghostketeers, save Jazz and Sam, were already there.

“You guys ready?” Ember grinned, pulling her guitar over her shoulder.

“Yeah, but what happened to your Fenton Phone?” Valerie asked.

“Ghost fire and electronics don’t really miss,” Ember said in lieu of a detailed explanation. But really, it was enough. Jack slammed his fists together, the ghost gloves banging loudly and drawing the attention of Vortex, who had been standing watch around the building.

“I hope you’re ready to face the perfect storm!” Vortex roared, and his arm lashed out, sending a gust of wind in their direction. The humans dropped against the street to avoid being blown away while the ghosts flew around. Dora and Ember led their small group over to entrance of Fenton Works while Johnny and Kitty headed the charge towards Vortex. When the wind faded, Valerie immediately shot up on her board and joined the ghosts in bombarding Vortex with ectoblasts. Tucker and Jack were forced to fight from the ground, but they still did their part.

Vortext, surrounding, was getting increasingly frustrated. He spotted the ghosts standing in front of Fenton Works, charging their ghostly fire. When Dora’s dragon eye amulet glowed and she transformed into her dragon form, Vortex sent another gust of wind towards the pesky ghosts attacking him and focused on the ones trying to destroy his masterpiece, but he was stopped by a black mass flying in front of his face. In a spot of bad luck, Vortex slipped on the very ice he had created and crash heavily against the street.

“No!” He shouted as the ghosts launched their green fire at his beautiful ice.

“Yeah!” Ember countered, and she dramatically swung her arm up, before striking a powerful chord to amplify the effect of the fire. It was extremely effective, and the blaze of green flames swirled together and burst through the ice. Cheers erupted outside the building, and a moment later Maddie Fenton burst through the hole that had formed in the ice, BB Blaster raised high.

“Your mine, ghost scum!” Maddie cried, firing off the remainder of the BB serum at Vortex, who cried out in pain as it hit.

“Mads!” Jack shouted as he saw his wife.

“Jack, hi honey! Where are the kids?” Maddie stepped to the side so that the others that had been trapped inside Fenton Works could stumble down the steps.

“Jazz is on the other side of the shield with Sam, and Danny is in the Ghost Zone.”

“What? How did he get there?”

“We’re not really sure,” Valerie answered with a shrug. “He just sort of… disappeared.”

“We just need to wait for Jazz and Sam, then we’re going after him,” Tucker added.

“Let’s hope their quick,” Maddie nodded. The ghosts, meanwhile, were still attacking Vortex, who was attempting to pick himself back up despite the red liquid eating through him. The Ghostketeers quickly skirted around the fight, guiding the people they had just rescued to the shield, but before they passed through it, it disappeared. 

* * *

Jazz caught up with Sam quickly despite the added weight of the Fenton Peeler, and immediately jumped into the fray as they started to work their way back to the shield, both of them knowing it would be much easier to make their way to Fenton Works in a location where the ghosts couldn’t reach them.

Making her way to Sam, Jazz attacked the red-suited ghost she had seen talking to people earlier, who looked surprisingly fearful at the sight of the Fenton Peeler. Jazz payed little attention to that and instead just turned the green beam onto her. The ghost, which Jazz was just recognizing as their old school counsellor, shrieked and her skin started to peel away in layers until she was an old and shrivelled figure that Jazz was able to knocking over with a light tap.

“Come on, we’re almost there!” Sam shouted, and Jazz started to back up with the Goth. Taking a calculated risk, they turned and dove through the green wall, grinning in triumph as the ghosts were halted by the energy shield.

“We need to get to Danny,” Sam said, turning serious. Jazz nodded in agreement and, as they were rising to their feet, the green wall that was protecting them suddenly vanished.

There was an awkward moment as Jazz and Sam stared at each other, then the ghosts that were just as stunned. The ghosts recovered first, wicked grins spreading across their faces. The girls then scrambled to their feet and, all caution abandoned, streaked down the street to get as far from the ghosts as fast as possible.

* * *

“Aah!” Danny cried out as he was thrown for the third time against a pillar, the marble cracking as he hit it. Several other pillars already had such spider-web designs from the severe beating they were receiving from of Danny’s body being used as a projectile. Before he could slip to the floor, Kraeva was there, hand around his throat.

**::It is such a pity, I had expected to have a little more fun::**

Danny’s reply came in the form as an unintelligible croak. He was undoubtedly losing, badly. His left arm was bleeding profusely where Kraeva’s claws had first dug into his skin, he was bruised all over, and Danny was sure that he had a concussion, if the fuzzy images that swam before his eyes were any hint. But he still fought, landing his own punches whenever he could. They just didn’t seem to make any difference. In fact, looking at Kraeva, he didn’t appear to have any injuries. No bruises of light scratches even. Still, Danny wouldn’t give up, and it wasn’t for his typical noble reasons.

He _was_ fighting to protect Amity Park, but he had a much darker motivator than that. What Danny wanted, was revenge. Revenge for hurting _his_ Sam, for invading _his_ town, for endangering _his_ people and _his_ family. Not to mention Hayden’s death who at that point Danny’s obsessive side had already considered his. After all, all the Ghostketeers had become a part of his family. Hayden’s death would never have happened if it weren’t for Kraeva’s attack, not that Danny didn’t place most of the blame on the GIW. Operative H had a rather special place in the darkest parts of Danny’s mind. But, at the moment, Kraeva was closest. And it was Kraeva that Danny wanted to defeat.

His breath came out in a sharp puff, and the red hand closed around Danny’s throat became coated in a thin layer of ice. Quickly, Danny grabbed Kraeva’s wrist and channelled his lighting through the appendage. He was able to slip out of the suffocating dip and jump up without Kraeva’s range of reach, thrusting his elbow into the ghosts gut. Kraeva simply chuckled and, as if to amuse the boy who was putting so much effort into fighting him, flew back a ways while pretending it had been the blow that actually knocked him away.

Danny was panting heavily, and he could feel his power waning, his eyes fading back to green as he no longer had the energy to stay so angry. It was all he could do not to drop to his knees. His eyes roamed around the throne room, and they settled on his abandoned blaster, still lying beside the barely breathing operative, and the scythe embedded in the pillar, which he was now much closer to. Danny gauged the distance. He wouldn’t have enough energy to teleport all the way to the scythe, which was designed to fight more powerful ghosts and would certainly do more damage. But he _could_ reach the blaster.

“Kraeva, I _will_ defeat you,” Danny threatened, and he teleported beside the operative. Kraeva hadn’t noticed Danny picking up the blaster and flew forwards, preparing to attack. The halfa whipped his arm around and charged a powerful blast, assisting the guns energy release with his own electric and ice powers. The blast hit Kraeva square in the chest and this time, as he was pushed backwards, it actually was because of Danny’s attack.

While Kraeva was righting himself, Danny turned, risking having his back to his enemy, and lunged for the scythe.

**::No!::**

Danny quickly looked over his shoulder and saw Kraeva coming towards him. He turned back to the scythe and sprinted the last few feet to the weapon. His hands closed around the staff, slipping momentarily because of the blood that still covered his gloves, and he yanked the blade out of the pillar. He twirled the scythe so that the blade was in position to slice his opponent and spun around, arms behind him and ready to swing forwards.

The start of a loud cry poured from Danny’s lips, but was quickly halted by the sharp claws being shoved through his chest.


	36. Ego te Condemnabo

Danny sputtered, feeling the blood bubble through his lips, and his wide eyes remained trained on Kraeva while his hands, still holding the scythe tightly, trembled. A cruel grin spread across his opponents face and, with one hand still embedded in Danny’s chest, he raised his other arm, preparing for the killing blow.

**::I must say, it was fun while it lasted. But I’m afraid it ends here::**

Danny’s eyes, which were shaking, struggled to focus on the hand that would bring his doom. Strangely enough, his whole life did not flash before his eyes, like he had been led to believe. In fact, it wasn’t even the good moments that he saw. Instead, Danny remembered situations similar to this that he had been in before. Situations where he had been about to die.

There was that car crash when he was younger, the first time he had truly wanted to save someone.

Then the Fenton Portal, how much pain he had felt, and how he wanted to stop anyone from ever having to experience that same pain.

His fight against Pariah, when he had watched digital numbers count down to the possible end of his life. How he had hoped beyond hope that, even if he died, he would still be able to seal the sarcophagus.

First gaining his ice powers and almost freezing to death. The constant worry that had followed him during that time, about how _he_ might hurt the people are him if he didn’t succeed.

His first fight with a wraith, when he had received the scar across his throat, the one that people kept staring at now that he didn’t hide it, but they never questioned. The one he hadn’t expected to almost kill him, and the fear that if he died, that ghost would return and hurt someone else.

In the lab of Fenton Works, as he was faced with two weapons designed to terminate ghosts. Then, his only worry was that, if he did die, they wouldn’t blame themselves.

And now, staring down the hardest opponent Danny had ever faced. Lacking the suit that had given him the power to fight Pariah, or the mentors to guide him through learning his new ability and help him defeat his foes, he might truly die.

It was with that mindset, that Danny literally spat death in the face. Kraeva, surprised at the glob of blood now dripping down his cheek, didn’t have time to react as Danny finished the cry he had started, and swung his arms around. The scythe hooked around Kraeva’s body, ripping the hand from his chest, and Danny spun, flicking the blade up so that when he pulled away his enemy sailed through the air. Kraeva thudded heavily against the floor, hand searching for the gouge in the armor along his back.

Across the room, Danny gripped the pin that held his cloak in place, and let it slip from his shoulders. He wiped the blood from his face, or at least tried to. With an already bloody glove, the only thing he accomplished was smearing it further, although it did create a rather frightening image.

“As long as you are living, I will not die!” Danny swore, splaying his hand towards Kraeva. His eyes once again darkened to red and he returned his hand to the scythe before dashing forwards. Danny’ assault was brutal. Calling upon every bit of power he could muster, the scythe’s blade alternately glowed green, crackled with electricity, and shone with icy energy as he bombarded his enemy. While his hits may not have caused any serious damage, Kraeva was on the full defensive, doing everything he could to prevent the powered blade from slicing into his exposed flesh.

Just as not all of Danny’s hit were successful, Kraeva did not manage to block everything.

Danny’s aura had started to glow blue, just as it had when he was rampaging against Technus, and he felt power well up from inside of him. Little did he knew, the marks across his face and throat were further spreading, and would soon occupy half of his body.

 **::You will not win!::** Kraeva growled as he swiped at Danny with his claws, just barely catching the edge of his open wound. Danny hissed and jumped back, sparing a glance at his chest, which had recently been taking quite the beating. Kraeva’s stab had been serious, but it didn’t appear to have actually his anything vital, and it wasn’t as deep as it looked. Although, based on the blood still leaking from the corner of his mouth, Danny was bleeding internally.

He ducked Kraeva’s next attack and stuck his leg out, throwing the demon-like ghost off balance, before swinging the scythe up and catching him across the chest.

“An eye for an eye?” Danny asked in his old, jovial manner, while Kraeva’s anger mounted.

 **::What an excellent idea::** Danny gasped and jumped into the air when Kraeva’s clawed hand lashed out, almost reaching his eye before he dodged. He flew through the hall and swiped the blaster from the floor while Kraeva followed, firing off black ectoblasts. Danny pivoted mid-air, knowing that the blaster wouldn’t as powerful as his own ectoplasmic abilities now that his power was returning. Instead of actually shooting with it, he chucked the weapon at his enemy and fired a white ectoblast from his palm. It collided with the gun inches from Kraeva, and they both exploded in an impressive release of ectoplasmic energy. While Kraeva was stunned, Danny launched himself forwards and swung the scythe again, raking him across his chest.

“It’s my turn to have some fun,” Danny grinned and spun around, bringing the heel of his foot down on Kraeva’s muzzle while the ghost howled in anger. 

* * *

Sam and Jazz were running as fast as they possibly could. For Sam, who had always been surprisingly athletic, this was fairly fast. Jazz, however, had always been more book oriented, and while ghost fighting had done wonders for her physical capabilities, marathon style running wasn’t her forte, so she was slowly falling behind. Even after the Fenton Peeler retracted she wasn’t able to keep up.

When Sam finally looked back, she saw the ghosts bearing riot shields had almost reached Jazz, and she immediately skidded to a halt and ran back towards them.

“Evading an officer of the law and resisting arrest, that’s against the rules,” a ghost wearing a white suit rose above the ones in riot gear and sneered down at the two girls. Sam had just about reached Jazz when the older girl trip and went sprawling across the pavement, hissing as loose rocks tore and her skin and were ground into the scrapes. Sam yelped in panic and rushed to reach Jazz, helping her up.

The police ghosts were about to descend on the two girls, batons raised high, when a large snarling figure suddenly appeared in front of them. It was a massive ghost dog, almost twice as tall as Sam, with slobber dripping down its jaws and sharp teeth grinding together as it threatened the ghosts before them.

“Pets without a leash. That’s another hundred years to your sentence,” the white ghost Sam now recognized from Danny’s files as Walker said ominously, large book in his hand.

“You’re out of your jurisdiction!” Sam countered, and she fired at the ghosts over the dog’s shoulder. They scattered and attacked. The ghost dog jumped into their midst, clamping his powerful jaws around the ghosts, shaking them ragged, and then tossing them away, while Sam and Jazz fought off the others. They were doing fairly well, until Walker decided that he, too, would fight.

“It looks like we’re going to have a problem,” Walker’s voice grew in volume and both Sam and Jazz stilled as the moonlit street was suddenly cast in shadow. They looked up to see that Walker was now thirty feet tall, challenging the buildings that lined the street around them. Beside them, the ghost dog whimpered.

“Run?” Sam asked, staring up at the foreboding ghost.

“Run,” Jazz agreed and, after blasting away two more guards and grabbing their batons, they did just that. 

* * *

The people that had just escaped the confines of Fenton Works fled for cover, spurred along by Jack shouting on the ghosts that had arrived after the shield dropped. After everyone recovered from the initial shock, Valerie had sucked Vortex into a Fenton Thermos, but before they could rush to the ghost portal, three more ghosts had arrived.

The first had resembled a mummy, and attacked Tucker before he could even be recognized for Hotep-Ra. Valerie had flown to Tucker’s rescue, and the two of them were now locked in a losing battle with the bandage-covered ghost.

Undergrowth had quickly followed, sprouting up from the ground, screaming for revenge for his children, and the loss of his daughter. Ember had been quick to attack, her flaming ponytail lashing out and burning Undergrowth’s roots.

Lastly had been a princely figure, dressed in dark clothes, with blue skin, and a thorny green crown.

“Aragorn,” Dora growled at the sight of the prince. She flew over and dropped down heavily in front of him, the ground shaking beneath her large feet.

“Dear sister, I have come to take back my crown.” Aragorn’s amulet flashed, and a black and purple dragon stood in his face. For a moment, the two reptilian ghosts growled at each other, then Aragorn lunged, claws flashing. Dora deflected his strike and fire poured from her snout, forcing her brother to jump into the air to avoid the blast. She followed, and soon the two dragons were performing a deadly dance in the sky above Amity Park, the darkness illuminated by alternating blasts of green and blue fire.

“I am honoured at this chance for revenge, my Pharaoh,” Hotep-Ra shouted as one of his bandages managed to snag Tucker’s leg, pulling him to the ground.

“What are you talking about?” Tucker cried, clawing at the bandage until it came loose. He scrambling to his feet and blasted the ghost attacking him.

“This will be easy without your Phantom protector.”

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Valerie grimaced as she flew about, avoiding Ra’s attacks while sending her own. While the rest of the town remembered Tucker’s brief stint as Pharaoh, the techno-geek had no recollection of the events, or the grudge that Ra held for him. She pivoted on her board, just barely dodging the hand that was stretching towards her. When she faced Ra again, Valerie trained her blaster on his chest and fired, but before the red blast could hit, Ra burst into a swarm of locusts that rushed towards his two teenage opponents. They both cried out, and started smacking and shooting the locusts, though having little effect.

Maddie, who had been assisting Ember with fighting Undergrowth, heard Valerie and Tucker’s shouts, and was about to run to their aid when a large thorn came sailing through the air and embedded in the ground at her feet. Another was quick to follow, and Maddie back-flipped away to avoid being impaled, although a third thorn ended up snagging her side. It did not serious damage, but ripped through her jumpsuit and scratched her side.

“Mads!” Jack, who had just finished helping the citizens hide, saw the thorn tear and his wife’s side. “Eat ghost gloves, freak!”

Jack ran forwards and landed a heavy punch on Undergrowth’s body, albeit nowhere near his beak-like mouth. In terms of damage, there was none, but it acted as a great annoyance to the large ghost, and several thick vines swung out from the ground and knocked Jack back against a wall. There was a loud _oomph_ as the breath was forced from his lungs, and a distinctive splat as several of the locusts Hotep-Ra had turned into were squished between Jack’s back and the red bricks.

The remaining locusts emitted a shrill cry of pain and reformed into one being. Ra’s hand was noticeably mangled. Tucker and Valerie cheered at the small victory, but their shouts died in their throats as his hand reformed. The bandages around his arm snaked down to once again encircle the reformed bone. As Ra started to attack again, Valerie paid close attention to the wrappings on his body. They were his primary weapon, and they kept his skeleton together. If they could get rid of those, it would be easy to suck him into a Fenton Thermos.

“I’ll be right back, Tucker!” Valerie shouted as she flew away.

“Hurry!” Tucker cried out, ducking one of Hotep-Ra’s stretching limbs. Valerie flew over to Undergrowth and, more importantly, Ember who was still in the process of burning the plant-based ghost.

“Ember! Burn Ra!” Valerie spoke hastily as she flew beside the ghost.

“What?”

“It’ll only take a second, but you just need to burn Ra,” Valerie continued. Ember risked looking back over her shoulder to the mummy in question, and quickly understood what Valerie was thinking.

“Fine, but you need to keep this guy occupied for me.” Ember swung her guitar from over her shoulder and jumped on top of it, using it as a board as she flew away from Undergrowth. While Valeria started flying in circles around Undergrowth’s head to distract him, Ember joined Tucker in fighting Hotep-Ra. Tucker shouted in surprise as Ember released a torrent of red flames from her guitar, over his head.

“Relax, kid, this ditty is dedicated to Ra over there,” Ember reassured Tucker. He nodded and promptly got out of the pop-stars way while she drew Ra’s attention by playing a punch chord in his direction. Ra groaned in frustration as the green fist connected with his chest, and he lashed out. This was exactly what Ember wanted. Ra’s bandages wrapped tightly around her arms and leg, and she grinned

“Thanks for making this easy for me!” Ember whipped her head around, and her ponytail swung out towards Ra, the blue flames stretching towards him and wrapping tightly around his middle. Ra cried out again as his wrappings caught fire, and the ones holding Ember in place turned to ash. Tucker took the opportunity provided to him and pulled out a Fenton Thermos. Hotep-Ra was easily caught within the blue beam, and cried in outrage as he was sucked into the confines of the Thermos. Tucker gave the Thermos a quick shake for good measure, then he and Ember high-fived to their victory.

But there celebration was cut short as Valerie suddenly collided with Tucker while Undergrowth cackled.

“This is my domain!” Undergrowth roared and more vines broke through the street, climbing over buildings and around lampposts.

“How did Danny defeat him last time?” Tucker asked in desperation.

“How are we supposed to know? No one remembers what happened then,” Valerie said, climbing off of Tucker and helping him up. “Just… what’s bad for plants?”

“Fire,” Tucker said immediately, pointing at Ember.

“Yeah, dipstick, but what else?” Ember rolled her eyes. Tucker wracked his brain, trying to remember the few conversation that had been centred around plants at Sam’s urgency.

“Cold weather!” Tucker shouted when he finally remembered. “Danny has ice powers! Does anyone else?”

“The yetis, but Kraeva captured all of them.” Ember sighed at the futility of all, then recalled something she didn’t much like recalling. The first time she had fought Danny, he had sent her to Klemper’s lair, which was a snowy wasteland. While he didn’t fight much, Klemper did have the tendency to throw snowballs, so he would probably have proper Cryokinesis as well.

But how would they get him? Ember had no idea where he had hidden after she had given the order, so he could be anywhere. Unless, there was one sure fire way to get Klemper to come to them almost immediately.

“I’m really going to regret this,” Ember groaned, before taking a deep breath, and shouting at the top of her lungs. “KLEMPER! I’LL BE YOUR FRIEND!” 

* * *

**Before the shield dropped**

“ _South_ _Beach Diet_! Everyone calm down!” Lancer shouted over the intercom. The citizens of Amity Park that had immediately retreated back to Casper High when the ghosts reappeared quieted as the vice-principal’s voice rang out throughout the halls.

“Danny Phantom has gone to fight the ghost in charge, and a squad of Ghostketeers are in the process of rescuing everyone trapped in Fenton Works. Now everybody stop their screaming, and get to a safe location at the center of the school!”

Lancer clicked off the intercom, deciding that, at the moment, who take a class full of the rowdiest, most disruptive students over a few panicking adults.

“So, uh, what are we supposed to do?” Dash asked, scratching the back of his head. Normally he would have put on an air of extreme confidence and tried to take control of the situation, but after watching Danny in charge, he understood that it wasn’t a role he was truly fit for. At least not on such a large scale. The students of Casper High he could still keep under his thumb.

“I’m not sure, Mr. Baxter. I suppose we wait until Mr. and Mrs. Fenton return, as they have the best knowledge of how to handle ghosts with Danny gone.”

“A perimeter needs to be set up.” The present Ghostketeers looked to the GIW operative in the corner. They had completely forgotten that he was here.

“For what?” Paulina asked.

“To watch the ghosts, make sure they don’t make any threatening moves or attempts to take down the shield,” Operative O explained.

“Oh,” Paulina nodded, not really caring at all about what he just said.

“I’ll take my fellow operatives and we’ll go to the south, where operatives N, K, and H are. Is anyone willing to watch the northern areas?” Operative O took the time to look at each Ghostketeer individually. Paulina scoffed at the idea of having to go back out there, and Dash didn’t look to comfortable with the risk of having to face the ghosts again. But when Jason, Morgan, and Star accepted the task, he immediately jumped at the chance to prove his superiority to them.

“I suggest you find flashlights, as the sun has almost set, and head out immediately,” Operative O instructed, receiving several small nods in response. They went to various classrooms, searching through teachers’ desks for flashlights, and asking anyone they met with. Within a few minutes, they each had one flashlight in hand, and another for backup. Everyone met up just outside the school, then went their separate ways. The GIW heading south, and the four Ghostketeers starting to make their way north. It wasn’t long after they had separated that Operative O received a transmission.

“ _This Operative K, requesting response from alpha operative._ ”

“This is Alpha Operative O.”

“ _Daniel Fenton’s sister just removed our bonds, and is heading to assist the Goth girl. I’ll be joining them shortly, while Operative H will be heading back to you._ ”

“Affirmative. What about Operative N?”

“ _The ghost in charge took him some time ago. His current location is unknown. Should we requisition and operative distress response team?_ ”

“Negative. At the moment, we have other worries.”

“ _Yes sir._ ” The transmission was quick and efficient. No unnecessary words or wasted breath.

Operative O was about halfway to the green shield when it suddenly disappeared. Not too long after, a reputable army of green ghosts with their eyes stitched shut marched towards them, strange helmets in hand. 

* * *

Lancer had been walking to the auditorium when he saw him, a very familiar figure. How could he not be, after being mayor for a few years? Vlad Masters was strolling confidently down the school halls despite there being a ghost shield overhead, and Lancer suddenly noticed the modified belt around his waist. The same one that Danny and Danielle wore. This sight made the teacher realize that he had not seen the youngest Fenton for quite some time. But before he could raise any sort of alarm, Vlad’s fist had shot out and promptly knocked Lancer out.

Vlad grimaced, shaking out his hand. He would have preferred not to be seen at all, but since he couldn’t go invisible, incapacitating those who did see him seemed to be his only option. He checked the belt around his waist, making sure it had enough power to last the next few minutes. Assured that it did, he continued on his way. It had been so easy to take the Spector Protector from the young Danielle. Eager as that little mistake was to help, she had followed the others outside of the shield to find their hidden allies. It had taken hardly any effort at all to snatch her out of the air while Daniel’s friends till hadn’t known she was there.

A quick shock from the Plasmius Maximus had shorted out her powers, so she couldn’t defend herself at all, and the unaltered Spector Deflector Vlad had found abandoned on the street the now circled her own waist would ensure that, once she woke up, she wouldn’t cause any problems.

Vlad tried to recall where he had left the girl, but he simply hadn’t cared enough to remember such a miniscule detail. But it wasn’t important anyways.

It had taken Vlad a frustrating amount of time to figure out how the Spector Protector worked, and while he had been familiarizing himself with the device, he couldn’t help but be impressed at its ingenious. It was specifically designed to recognize halfa DNA and adjust its power output based on the levels of ectoplasm in the blood. Once that adjustment had been made, the belt emitted energy waves very similar to that of the updated ghost shields. Its own anti-ecto energy output cancelled out the possible effects of the shield, but only up to a certain point. The more dominant the ectoplasm, the less effective the Protector would be, which is why it wouldn’t work on full ghosts.

Vlad had been tempted to turn it up to maximum output so that he could stroll through the halls in his ghost form before his task was completed, but worried that it would deplete the belt’s power too quickly. He entertained the idea of using his ghost powers, but that, too, would cause his levels of ectoplasm to fluctuate, and for the belt to increase its protective capacity. At the moment, it would just barely last through the next two minutes, which made what he was about to do very vital.

Outside of the auditorium doors, he paused. He would have to move quickly and save flying for the very last instant. Vlad slipped through the door and stepped inside. With the dim lighting, no one recognized him right away, and he was able to walk along the wall for several meters before someone even seemed to notice that he didn’t belong there. He had about one minute left when the first person screamed.

Vlad just rolled his eyes as people started scrambling out of the way. Apparently he had overestimated their bravery, and no one dared attack the ghost that had managed to put the whole world in danger. Wanting a bit of fun, Vlad started to float for a few feet before he actually flew up to the rafters. He stood beside the ghost shield generator, staring down at the panicking citizens below him.

“This town is ours!” Vlad laughed, and ripped the cover off the generator, tossing it down below. He ignored the screams that erupted as the metal casing dropped on top of someone and instead ripped out the wires. While he didn’t remove the parts necessary to cut off the flow of power that was lighting up the school, he effectively removed the ghost shield from the situation.

Mere seconds later the spores started to phase through the building, provided by a certain plant-based ghost. Vlad transformed, relishing in the citizens fear as they slowly dropped off to sleep, and flew out of the building. Already he could see Nocturne’s Sleepwalker’s making their way to the school, with Nocturne himself close behind them, eager to harvest energy so that he, too, could join the fight.

Vlad, however, wanted to pay a visit to a certain couple. 

* * *

**Present time**

Jazz screamed as Walker’s heavy boot dropped down beside her, inches from squishing her flat. She rolled to the side, whipping her arm up and firing at the persistent warden. The combined efforts of Sam, Jazz, and the ghost dog had led to the swift capture of Walker’s guards, or at least the ones that were chasing them, and now they only had the warden himself to deal with. Which proved to be quite the challenge when he was fifty feet tall and treated each blast as a mosquito bite.

Theoretically, if Jazz could capture all of Walker within the Fenton Peeler’s ray, then it should shrink him back down to his normal size. But with him being so large, it was easy. If she left Sam and the ghost dog on their own, they might not hold up long enough against Walker before she could get to a higher vantage point.

It was around the time that she was thinking this, that Operative K made his appearance. He didn’t say anything to the girls, but pulled out his own blaster and started firing. It was, naturally, a blessing, but it hardly made up for what they did.

“Sam!” Jazz called to the Goth across the street.

“Yeah?” Sam rolled out of the way of a pink ectoblast and ran over to Jazz.

“I’m going to get higher up.” Jazz gestured to one of the nearby buildings, then to the cannon attached to the Fenton Peeler.

“Okay. We’ll hold him for now,” Sam nodded towards the GIW operative and the ghost dog who Operative K had thankfully not attacked yet. Assured that they could handle themselves, Jazz dashed inside the nearest office building and started pounding up the stairs, Fenton Peeler retracting so that she could run easier. She didn’t go all the way to the top of the building, but went high enough that she was looking down at Walker. Once the suit was again encasing her body, she punched a nearby window and leaned out.

“Hey!” Jazz shouted, gaining the ghosts attention. Walker looked up just as he was about to slam his foot down on the ghost dog. “That’s against the rules!”

The Fenton Peeler powered up and, this time, the beam was able to spread wide enough to engulf the entirety of the white ghost.

“No!” He started to shrink, peeling away layer by layer, until he was his proper height, and Sam was able to suck him into the Fenton Thermos. Although neither girl could very well see the other from such a distance, both were grinning in each other’s direction.

Then, Jazz raised her eyes and looked out over the town. Farther off in the distance she could see Fenton Works, the ice that had been holding it captive slowly melting. But that wasn’t what caught her attention. Her eyes were drawn to the venerable see of neon green swarming around Casper High.

As she was watching this, something very comical was occurring on the street below without her knowledge. Sam was vigorously defending the ghost dog from Operative K, insisting that he was helping them and meant no harm. About the time that Operative K’s resolve started slip, Sam started to say two words that had caused a certain halfa a lot of pain in the past.

“I wish-” Before Sam could fully form her sentence, there was a puff of green smoke and a genie suddenly appeared before her.

“A friend of the ghost boy’s. I do love your wishes best. Tell me, girl, what is it that your heart desires?” Desiree asked, believing herself to be irresistible.

Sam, who was really just annoyed at the ghost’s poor timing, reacted naturally when faced with such a ghost. “I wish you’d disappear inside this thermos!”

To Sam’s surprise, the ghost started to wail in regret as she disappeared inside the thermos of her own volition. Both she and the operative simply stared at the Thermos, trying to decipher what had just happened. 

* * *

The dragons in the sky were raging a vicious battle. Claws flashed, teeth snapped, and bursts of fire soared through the air. Throughout the battle, they had been drifting over the town, and Dora had managed to catch sight of her various allies locked in their own battles. She had last seen Amorpho, who had never been much of a fighter, challenging Bertrand. A highly confusing battle to watch, as both ghosts were apt shapeshifters. Not too long ago she had spotted the Dairy King fighting the three ghostly vultures, but now she could see them flying unhindered over the town.

She had also seen Wulf fighting Bullet, and Johnny, Kitty, and Youngblood facing off against a plethora of ghostly animals.

The most recent thing that Dora had noticed was the Sleepwalkers, but at the moment she could nothing about them. She needed to take care of her brother first.

They were both bleeding from several longs cuts, although Dora was pleased to see that she had been doing more damage. Her brother’s time spent in prison had dulled his skills. If she could only get to his amulet, the fight would be over soon. But Aragorn had also learned. Anytime Dora’s claws or tail came close to knocking it away, he would perform a hasty retreat, and thus far she had been unsuccessful in her attempts at victory.

She snarled as she lunged again, tail lashing out towards Aragorn’s chest. She had just almost touched it when Aragorn closed his claws around Dora’s tail and yanked her towards him. Caught by surprise, she wasn’t to defend herself before he pulled off he own amulet, and she was forcibly reverted back to human-esque form. She dropped several metres, forgetting for a moment that she did have her wings to keep her aloft, before she caught herself.

“There, sister. I’ve defeated you just as you defeated me. Now give me my crown!” Aragorn growled, dropped her necklace. Dora watched it fall carefully, taking note of where it dropped, then turned a defiant gaze on her older brother.

“The crown is mine, brother, and I’m not so weak as to give up just because you have taken my amulet.” Dora smiled mockingly at him, the dropped from the sky. Aragorn’s roar of outrage following in her wake. Once she had descended below the buildings, Dora regain control of her descent and started flying through the streets, taking narrow turns and confusing routes that would disorient her brother as he followed her.

Aragorn hesitated above the buildings for just a moment before he did just that, which proved to be a mistake. Even if he managed to phase through the buildings he would have otherwise hit, navigating the streets while in his large dragon form proved to be a challenge. Thinking that it would somehow give him the upper hand, Aragorn reverted back to his own human form, pleased at the noticeable difference in maneuverability.

But during his transformation, he had lost sight of his sister. Aragorn’s flight slowed, and he started to scan the streets he passed, searching for any sign of her. As he was peering around a corner, she attacked. Aragorn heard Dora’s yell, and looked up to see her swinging down from a fire escape with a thick cable that was attached to the top of the building held firmly in her hands. He was too stunned by the brashness that he didn’t have time to react before his sister had rammed into him and closed her fingers around his amulet. As he sailed back, it was ripped from his neck.

Dora, who had retrieved her own amulet during the time when Aragorn had not seen her, morphed, and closed one clawed hand around her brother. Aragorn started to struggle, shouting curses and threats, but Dora ended that with a quick puff of fire.

“Silence, brother, and accept your fate.” With Aragorn held firmly in her grasp, Dora returned to Fenton Works. She arrived to the sight of a very much defeated Undergrowth, half of him covered in burns, and the other half encased in ice and snow.

“I have a friend!” Klemper cheered, throwing his arms around Ember, who was grimacing.

Valerie had noticed Dora’s arrival right away, as everyone else was occupied with watching the entertaining scene before them, and opened up a Thermos. Dora dropped her protesting brother into the glowing beam and changed form.

“Are you okay?” Valerie asked, taking in Dora’s injury.

“Perfectly fine, Huntress,” Dora assured her. “But your citizens are not. Nocturne has set his Sleepwalkers on them.”

“And that’s bad, right?” Tucker asked.

“If they were to be left for days, then yes. But I feel that will not be necessary.”

“So, princess, what do you think we should do?” Ember asked as she pressed a hand against Klemper’s face to push him away. His reaction was a sharp giggle, still elated at the fact that Ember had agreed to be his friend.

“Sir Phantom will need our help, but the few allies we have remaining won’t be enough to fight Nocturne’s minions if we do not help.”

“Um, few? Last I check, we still had fourteen ghosts besides you guys,” Tucker gulped.

“Poindexter, the Dairy King, Lydia, and Elastica have been defeated.”

“Are you sure?” Maddie asked.

“While battling my brother, I witness their own fights. Their opponents are still flying free, while I lost sight of them,” Dora confirmed.

“So there’s only nine more, eleven plus you two. Then there’s us… how many Sleepwalkers are there?” Tucker was afraid of where this conversation was going.

“If Nocturne continues to gain power, an army.”

“Oh, okay. So it’s basically just like the wraiths all over again, except most or our forces are asleep!” Tucker shouted, grabbing at his beret. It was at this point that Vlad decided to make himself known, phasing through the street and arrogantly walking into the middle of the dejected group.

“Jack, Maddie. Such a displeasure it is to see you again,” Vlad said confidently. He didn’t even have his eyes open. All in all, it was a very stupid move on his part. The fear displayed to him while in the auditorium had done wonders for his ego and, after spending some time alone in space, he wasn’t exactly in a logical state of mind. So he never expected four Fenton Thermos’ to be whipped out and aimed in his direction, with the person successfully capturing him, which was ironically Jack, whooping loudly.

“That was… really easy,” Ember said. Jack, who was doing a victory dance and boasting that he was the one that caught Vladdie, whooped again.

“Now we just have to stop this Nocturne, then we can help Danny-boy!” Jack grinned.

“Jack, we don’t have enough people to do this as fast as you think,” Maddie said, reminding everyone of the situation at hand.

“We can’t just leave Danny on his own, but we can’t leave everyone in Amity,” Tucker summed up, staring down at the ground.

“What if I said you don’t have to?”

Ember practically jumped at the familiar voice the sounded from behind her, and she spun around to find herself face to face with her possibly ex-boyfriend, who was standing in the Fenton’s front door.

“And why will we not have to? You’re going to capture us so Kraeva doesn’t have to?” Ember dropped her hands to her hips and glared at Skulker.

“No. We’re going to fight the Sleepwalkers, so you can help the ghost child.” Skulker stepped to the side and revealed the crowd of ghosts behind him, filling the Fenton’s living room. Mostly she could only see the distinctive Greek armour of Pandora’s soldiers. Ember spotted the leader of the group in their midst, as well as Technus’ trademark mullet, and the pale grey skin of the Ghost Writer. There were three other ghosts, as well, that Ember didn’t recognize. A large, hulking, grey-skinned figure, one that was actually wearing a bedsheet, and another that just appeared to be a small orb of light.

Ember, ever the skeptic and not one who easily forgives, was not quite convinced. “What about your means to an end?”

“My warriors are the means, and the end is victory!” Pandora’s loud voice boomed over the crowd of ghosts, and her warriors echoed the cry, while the yetis roared. They poured out of Fenton Works and took off into the sky towards Casper High. Skulker and Pandora lagged behind.

“I thought Kraeva had taken you prisoner,” Dora said, gesturing to the two rulers.

“He did. But Kraeva has never had a good military mind, and didn’t realize that, by breaking free of the banished lands, he weakened the barrier around them. This one was able to break it again quiet easily,” Pandora motioned to Skulker. “Where is Daniel? It has been too long since I’ve seen my prized general.”

Pandora cast her gaze around the gathered group as if expecting the halfa to appear out of thin air, which technically was a possibility.

“Fighting Kraeva in the Ghost Zone,” Tucker explained. “And, general?”

“In training,” Pandora winked, each of her four arms reaching for the swords at her side. “I assume you are wishing to go after Daniel?”

“Yeah. He went on his own, and he’s going to need our help,” Valerie answered, pulling her board up beside Tucker.

“I must ask that you do not follow.” Pandora’s words were met with outrage, and she raised a sword, signalling for silenced. “Daniel must battle alone. If you were to join him, Kraeva may use that against him.”

“So we’d just get in the way?” Jack looked as if he’d awoken to find someone eating his tray of fudge.

“I’m afraid so. Danny is strong, and you must trust him to win, just as he trusts you to succeed here.” The Ghostketeers (plus Ember and Dora) shared meaningful looks and conceded. The solemn moment of silence was broken by Pandora’s battle cry.

“Long live the king!” She took off, twirling the swords in her hands.

“Who’s gonna tell Sam?”

* * *

For all Danny’s bravado, he had yet to gain the upper hand in the fight. While acquiring the scythe had even the playing field, he and Kraeva were now locked in a stalemate. Blows were exchanged, but the damage done on each side remained equal. Danny’s frustration was mounting. Defeating Pariah hadn’t even taken this long, although he had had the increased power of the Ecto-Skeleton during that fight. But apparently it would not have been necessary anyways.

It had been a slow process, but throughout the fight, Danny’s ectoplasmic attacks had been growing increasingly light in colour until his ectoplasm was completely white, just as it had been then. It was an amazing feeling, having control of that power again. It also gave him and idea. He jumped up and landed a powerful drop kick before skipping back across the throne room, which was practically falling apart.

A few pillars had crumbled, and the ones still intact looked like they would turn to dust with the next hit. The walls were cracked and had several large holes where either opponent had been thrown through them. The thing untouched was the throne. With his eyes set on that ornate seat, Danny made three duplicates that would finally give him the advantage he needed, although the weapon in his hands did not get replicated. During this process, Danny remained unaware of the markings, which at that point had stretched to span across the bridge of his nose, grew further and dipped below his ear on the other side of his face. The first two duplicates attacked in tandem, flying to opposite sides of the room between the pillars and walls, attacking Kraeva from both sides, while Danny and the other duplicate launched a frontal assault. It was a well-coordinated attack. Kraeva would be knocked back by one Danny, only be hit by another, and so it went.

Kraeva’s hits just wouldn’t land, until he leashed an attack not too different from Danny’s own aural projection. A wave of ectoplasm rolled off of the powerful ghost, slicing through Danny duplicates. However, it did not affect the real Danny, and he swung his scythe down sharply to deliver a powerful blow while he assumed Kraeva would be distracted. But the blade never pierced his skin. Kraeva thrust his arm up, catching the staff on his forearm and effectively halting the swing just as the blade scratched against the armour on his back.

Danny was about to pull back when Kraeva’s arm twisted and he grabbed the staff of the scythe, pulling sharply. Danny stumbled forwards and Kraeva’s other hand closed around the collar of his jumpsuit. He was hoisted off his feet and unceremoniously thrown through the back wall of the room. The stones burst apart at the impact, and Danny sailed into the courtyard, bouncing against the gravel path before being abruptly and painfully halted by the trunk of the weeping willow that was growing there. He lay there a moment, slumped over one of the jutting roots, and grimaced.

He tried to push himself up, but found that his strength had suddenly left him. He was struggling to even firmly press his hand against the root on which he was sprawled when Kraeva drew open the curtain of leaves, stalking forwards with the confidence of an assured victor.

It was then that it happened. The mark, which had been slowly spreading unseen across Danny’s chest, and unnoticed by either fighter across his face, had looped back around and the stray ends converged on the same black skull, hidden by his hair on the nape of his neck, that they had sprouted from.

Danny’s eyes snapped open, and it was as if they had been leeched of colour. It was eerier now, when the pale red iris was barely distinguishable from the whites of his eyes. The aura around him grew, and electricity crackled along the length of his body. Just like with Technus, ice spread from his feet, creeping up the bark of the tree, and dripping down the leaves until they were surrounded by a thin, cerulean veil.

Kraeva hesitated as Danny’s pale eyes fell on him. The halfa opened his mouth, and the blue mist once again poured from his jaws.

“ _Habeo iudicavero. Ego te condemnabo 1._”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 I have judged you. I condemn you


	37. Absolute Death

To say Sam was outraged would be, well, an apt description, if her shouting was any hint.

After some voting and discussion, it had been decided that Dora would tell the Goth about their decision to leave her boyfriend to fight the most power ghost to anyone’s knowledge, all on his own. They doubted that she would attack the ghostly princess, and they were right. Really, though, what they should have predicted, but some unfathomable reason did not, was that she would turn on Tucker.

“You what?!” Sam roared, spinning around and facing the techno-geek, who immediately jumped behind Ember.

“We’ve decided not to go help Danny?” Tucker chuckled and pushed Ember out in front of him as a shield.

“Do you know what could happen? How can you agree to that?” Sam stomped forwards, shoving Ember out of the way, and raising her fist.

“Lady Manson, do _you_ know what could happen?” Dora asked suddenly, causing the Goth’s fist to pause mid-strike.

“Danny could get hurt,” Sam said simply, turning and glaring at the yeti.

“And we could get in his way, and be used against him,” Dora said gently. Sam’s fist dropped just a fraction. “Kraeva has already done it once. He would not hesitate to do it again.”

Sam wrapped her fingers around the bandages on her arm, remembering how her pain caused him pain. After those few words from princess, Sam reluctantly saw reason. Although that didn’t mean she couldn’t get at least one good hit in against Tucker.

As the techno-geek rubbed the ever growing bruise on his shoulder, they discussed what course of action they should take if they weren’t going to help Danny. With all other known ghostly enemies defeated, there was only one thing left for them to do. Join the others in battling the Sleepwalkers. Every ghost hunting weapon in Amity was turned on the remaining threat. Whenever they were able to, they took an unconscious citizens to a safe location, while Tucker worked on a way to rouse them. He suspected that there extended sleep was related to the helmets, but wasn’t sure what would happen if he simply pulled it off.

Currently he was working on hacking into the helmets and shutting them down, but it was surprisingly high tech. None of his attempts had been successful, but he wasn’t about to give up. Not while Danny and the others were still fighting. 

* * *

When the shield dropped and the spores first descended on Casper High, Dash, Star, Morgan, and Jason were comfortably out of range, and greatly relieved at that fact when they were running back to the school, and noticed the sleeping people. They were a little less relieved when the Sleepwalkers came and attacked them, noticeably avoiding harming those that were sleeping in any way.

Star was the first notice the helmets that the Sleepwalkers were toting, and how they placed them on the heads of those collapsed on the street. While none in the group understood what they helmets were for, they agreed that they were probably bad. So they headed back to the school in the hopes of defending the most densely populated area. That proved to be a very hard task, although it became a little easier when the three GIW operatives that had gone south eventually joined them. Whether Operative O had had the same idea as them, or had simply been retreating to a more defensible location remained to be seen. But at the moment, it hardly mattered.

When their ally ghosts came, it once again became easier to fight, though they were still being overwhelmed. The Ghostketeers worried that the GIW would start attacking them, but were surprised when Operative O berated one of his subordinates for turning his blaster on a ghost on a motorcycle. Apparently, he knew that these ghosts were actually good. With their help, they were able to secure an area around the school, and were currently keeping the Sleepwalkers at bay, which was the most that they could do with their diminished numbers.

They were in the midst of a lull in fighting, after the most recent retreat on the Sleepwalkers part, supposedly to reformulate their attack plan, when they noticed several figures stirring in the darkened streets. A few of them wished, not for the first time, that Danny somehow could have extended the power of the ghost shield generator beyond the school and traffic camera to light up the streets as well.

But he hadn’t, so Dash and Morgan, who were guarding the school entrance closest to that street, waited in apprehension for the figures to reveal themselves.

“Do… do you think they’re more ghosts?” Dash asked, a slight waver in his voice.

“Stop being such a wimp,” Morgan snapped, surprising the jock. “If it were more ghosts, we’d see they’re auras.”

“I’m not a wimp!” Dash shouted defiantly. “I’m the king of Casper High, and once this is all done, you’re going to regret saying that.”

“Oh, I’m sure I will,” Morgan rolled her eyes. “I’ll become a social outcast, lose all of my friends, wallow in the pity of being lower than Fenton on the Casper High food chain! Those kinds of things only work once.”

Dash blinked, surprised. His knowledge of Morgan was fairly limited. She was a weird girl, obsessed with books, movies, and manga, never hung out with anyone, never went to any parties, and was avoided more than Fenton was. As he was thinking, he realized that that was basically everything Morgan had just said, and that was everything he did to anyone who defied him.

His face screwed up as he tried to remember ever doing that to the blue-haired girl beside him, but couldn’t recall. Really, it didn’t matter. Dash reasoned that she had probably deserved it. Though now he would have to think of something else to do since, as Morgan said, that method only worked once. He had just started devising the new punishment, when Morgan suddenly shoved him out of the way of the door and yanked it open.

“Over here!” Morgan called, waving her blaster in the air.

“Hey, we don’t _want_ the ghosts to come here!” Dash hissed, grabbing Morgan’s shoulder tightly.

“Let go of me!” Morgan shouted, spinning around and pointing her gun at Dash’s chest. He immediately complied. “And do they look like ghosts to you?”

Dash peered out the open door, but was forced to jump back when a GIW operative barrelled in, followed by the remaining conscious Ghostketeers, minus Tucker.

“How are you guys awake?” Maddie asked, her gaze switching between Morgan and Dash.

“We weren’t in the affected range,” Morgan said. “Star, Valerie, and those other three operatives are awake as well.”

“Where’s Foley?” Dash glanced around the group, fearing the worst after what happened to Hayden. Although he would never admit he was worried for the techno-geek.

“Tucker’s trying to hack those helmets,” Sam gestured to one of the sleeping figures lying in the hallway. “He’s in that box store a couple streets over, and he’s not dead.”

“Like I care,” Dash lied, scoffing. Sam’s calculating stare lingered on him for a moment, before turning to Morgan.

“Since you’re the sensible one, and I use that term loosely,” Sam looked pointedly at the gun in Morgan’s hands. “Could you come with me to get Tucker? He’s gonna do something stupid if we leave him on his own, and it’s better anyways if he’s here with everyone else.”

“If it gets me away from the wimp? Anything.” Morgan glared in the jocks direction, then followed Sam out of the school. Since the Sleepwalkers were still withdrawn, the twenty minute walk remained uneventful and silent as they crept through the moonlit streets. They had almost reached Tucker’s location when Morgan spoke up.

“Why me?”

“What?” Sam glanced back momentarily.

“Out of every waking person at the school, you chose me. Not Jazz, who you know better at least, not Maddie or Jack, who are professional ghost hunters. Not the GIW, _government issued_ ghost hunters. I’m just a decent shot, nothing more. So, why me?”

Sam stopped and pointed down the street. “Tucker’s in that building there.”

“Okay, sure, whatever, but that doesn’t answer my question.”

“You’re going to make my alibi.”

“You’re what?”

“Out of everyone in that building, you’re easily the least emotionally influenced, and yes, I’m including the GIW. Although I never would have picked them for this anyways. Danny’s fighting Kraeva, alone, and I need to make sure he’s okay, but we decided to go help him. I need an alibi, so that when I don’t return with you, the others don’t suspect anything.”

“And I, of course, am the one most likely to provide you with one?”

“Pretty much.”

Morgan waited a moment, thinking it over. She had nothing to gain from agreeing, but nothing to lose either.

“Sure, why not?”

“Okay. So you get Tucker and bring him back, and I’ll go help Danny.”

“You aren’t going anywhere.”

The girls yelled in surprise as a deep voice echoed around them. They stood back to back, eyes roaming for the source of the voice.

“Thanks to the help of your dear citizens, I have managed to regain to power Danny Phantom _stole_ from me.” The shadows converged to form a figure clothed in the night sky itself. “If he returns from his battle, it will be to his worst nightmare.” 

* * *

Never before had Danny seen another ghost bleed. He had seen them melt into puddles of ectoplasm, had seen their limbs fall off, but never bleed. He theorized that it was simply because he had never hurt them enough to do so, and that the only reason _he_ bled to easily in ghost form was because of the fact that he was not a pure ectoplasmic entity. Looking at Kraeva now, Danny felt his hypothesis could be considered proved, because never before had he done something like this.

It was with a disturbing amount of nonchalance that he stared at the writhing figure on his throne. Kraeva was slumped there, twitched a little, as his hands slid along the blade holding him place. Danny’s breathing was almost non-existent as he watched. The aura surrounding him had not yet diminished, and his eyes till bore their eerie pale colour. The power coursing through his body was nothing like he had ever felt before. It felt like he could do the impossible. Which, technically, he was about to. After all, very few people would be able to actually _kill_ a ghost. Not obliterate, not melt into nothing, _kill_.

It was ironic, that Kraeva would now die in the throne he had been striving to obtain. Danny could picture it perfectly. Limbs splayed, body slumped forwards. If not for the scythe embedded in his chest, he would have fallen forwards already. After Danny had ‘awoken’, the fight had been pitifully short. Kraeva never stood a chance. Danny had blasted him back into the throne room with ease, battered and toyed with him for a few minutes, then knocked him onto the throne. From there, Danny had teleported so that he was standing on its back, and he swung the scythe down with so much force that the blade pierced through carved metal.

Danny walked forwards slowly, a slight bounce in his step. He slunk up the stairs and, when he reached the throne, leaned heavily on the scythe. It shifted a few inches, sinking deeper into Kraeva’s chest. The demon-like ghost actually whimpered.

“You know, this _actually_ was kind of fun,” Danny grinned slyly, then he frowned. “But I guess I should be getting back to Amity Park, see how the others are holding up.”

Kraeva’s response was growl that ended in a bubbling gurgle. The blue mist poured from Danny’s mouth and floated lazily towards Kraeva, pressing up against his face, before sinking into his mouth, and creeping into the space behind his eyes. Kraeva started gasping, despite not actually needed to breath, and he shook as his skin turned blue.

Danny stepped away and patiently waited for the ghost die, or whatever it is you could call it. It was a pathetic death, with Kraeva struggling in his last moments to remove a blade that could not be removed by the likes him. But still, Danny thought it had been too good for him. Too quick. Staring at the body now, which was slightly mangled from the few minutes of fun he had had, Danny regretted ending it too soon. If Kraeva had chosen to kill Sam while she was in his hands, the halfa doubted that he would have shown such mercy. A quick death was more than he deserved.

He stared at the body in disgust for a few moments longer before holding his arm out. The scythe rattled and flew towards Danny, Kraeva’s body still hanging off the blade. Annoyed at the ghost’s audacity, even in absolute death, Danny flung the scythe out, and with a sick squelch the body slipped off the blade and disappeared into the shadows of the castle, bursting into ectoplasm when it hit with floor.

For a moment, Danny wondered what exactly would happen to a ghost after it was killed. He hadn’t even known it was possible to do such a thing, but Kraeva had proved that it was. Danny hoped, though, that if there was some form of afterlife for a ghosts, and Kraeva moved on to it, that it would not be a pleasant one.

He spun about, twirling the scythe at his side, retrieved his abandoned cloak, and stopped beside the operative that had laid untouched in the middle of the floor throughout the fight. Danny noticed the lack of movement, and experimentally probed him with a booted toe. There was no reaction.

“So he died after all,” Danny said, taking in the expression. Apparently during _his_ last moments, he had managed to compose himself, and no longer looked to be in massive amounts of pain. So he, too, looked peaceful in death. That just left Kraeva, who now looked like nothing. Danny wasn’t sure of what to do with the body and, still not being in a right state of mind, he just left it there, and walked away. It was about the time that he walked out the doors of Sable, that some semblance of sanity came back to him. But, at the moment, it wasn’t enough so that the things he had just done would send him reeling into a panic. It was just enough that he could consciously register he had defeated Kraeva, and one operative was dead. The circumstances of either event remained hazy in his mind.

He paused on the steps, relishing in his victory, and wondered for the first time where this boost in power had come from. Danny was still pondering this when he noticed something.

“Can you actually answer my questions this time?” Danny asked, tilting his head up to look at the ghost above him. The childlike blue-skinned ghost nodded as he abruptly aged a good twenty years.


	38. King Danny

“ _Time out_.” Clockwork’s voice reverberated around the Ghost Zone, and everything stilled. The sky stopped swirling, the ghosts that had not been willing to help Amity fight—and there had been many of them—halted midflight, and the mindless blobs of ectoplasm that had yet to form into sentient ghosts ceased there floating. Everything but Clockwork, Danny, and a certain lair was always tick-tick-ticking away.

Another perk of Clockwork’s gift, the cloak Danny bore, was that it removed the necessity of time medallions.

“What is it you would like to know?” Clockwork asked as he started floating away, in the direction of the Fenton Portal no less. Danny followed.

“You already know what my questions are.”

“Yes, but I’d prefer to hear you ask them, this time.”

Danny sighed, and complied the request. Apparently, this would be one of those times when Clockwork would like to pretend that he didn’t know absolutely everything that was, is, and will be.

“The mark, first off. I’d like to know where that came from.” Danny’s had rose to press the spot on the back of his neck, where he knew the skull would be. He had found it by chance, a couple weeks ago, when deleting photos Jazz had secretly taken of him on her camera.

“Your suspicions are correct,” Clockwork answered, causing Danny to scowl.

“I’d prefer to hear you say it,” Danny countered hotly.

“Very well. It is the mark of the Ancients, bestowed on you not long after you defeated Pariah.”

“So there’s no avoiding it, the whole king thing you told me about?”

“What is there to avoid?”

“I don’t know what kings do! And does this mean that I have to leave Amity? Because you know that I won’t.”

“I’m afraid, Danny, that you are misunderstanding the role that a king of ghosts has.” Clockwork smiled at the puzzled halfa beside him. “You read the textbook?”

“With Kraeva in it? Yeah.”

“So you know how the role of King of the Ghost Zone came about.”

Danny nodded, despite the fact that Clockwork hadn’t actually asked a question.

“It’s my turn to ask you, what do you think the king of ghosts does?”

“Brings order to the Ghost Zone?” Danny shrugged, recalling what the book Dora had supplied him with said.

“Yes. Now, one more. Frostbite, Princess Dorathea, and Pandora are rulers in the Ghost Zone?”

“Yeah,” Danny nodded again, not understanding where Clockwork was going with this.

“They bring order to their own sections of the Ghost Zone, as well as maintaining relations between each other. The king of ghosts is not required to do such things.” Clockwork paused a moment, giving Danny time to process what he had just said, before continuing. “The king of ghosts is the most powerful ghost for a reason. They exist, to keep those like Kraeva and Pariah, from taking over and instilling a tyrannical rule upon the Ghost Zone, or the human realm.”

“So it’s just a title? It doesn’t actually mean anything, or come with any power?” A flood of relief washed over Danny. His brief stint as commander of the Amity Park forces had proved he was an adept leader, but that didn’t mean that it was a position he was wholly comfortable with and, as he told Clockwork, there was no way he would leave Amity Park to take up such a role.

“It is just a title, but that does not mean it lacks power. I believe this brings us to your second question?”

“If the Ancients were able to defeat Kraeva the first time around, and Pariah as well, why is it necessary to have someone else to do it?”

“It is true that the Ancients bear such intense power, but it can be a burden. I believe Pariah once told you something similar?”

“Yeah, he did.” Danny swerved to avoid running into a frozen ghost, recognizably one of the first two ghosts he had ever fought, and a native of the Ghost Zone.

“After defeating Kraeva, they’re powers were drained. While working together they were strong, the toll it had was heavy. Those markings on you face, have you seen them?”

“Sam showed them to me. Like lightning bolts, right?” Danny held up his hand and allowed a burst of electricity to crackle across his palm as demonstration.

“Yes. Those markings are conduits, as is the skull on the back of your neck. Both of which are responsible for you surge of power. I believe that was going to be your next question? The Ancients were quick to realize the fault in their powers. If another enemy arose soon after the first was defeated, they would be unable to fight. Their solution was the king of ghosts. A chosen ghost, one powerful and good, would receive their mark, the one on the back or your neck now. This mark would allow the Ancients to bestow their combined power, through you, on top of your own. By removing the need for their physical involvement, the Ancients were given the opportunity to constantly gather power, so that when the fight was over, the Ghost Zone would not be left defenseless.”

“Okay, but what does that have to do with these?” Danny brushed his fingers against his jaw, and the black marks he knew were there.”

“Patience, Daniel, is a virtue, and one you do no always express. But given the circumstances, it is understandable. The skull allows the Ancients to bestow their power on you, but the other markings channel that power throughout your body. If, for some reason, you were to remove you jumpsuit, you would see that almost your entire body would be covered in the design.”

“How come it took so long for me to gain this power? I could have used it when I first met Kraeva, and prevented all of this from happening.” Danny scowled, thinking of Hayden, who never should have died, who would have died if he had this power before. It really was all his fault. _All my fault. All my fault, all my fault, all my-_

“Such a strong transfer of power takes time,” Clockwork’s voice cut into Danny’s thoughts, bringing him back to the present conversation. “Because the Ancients have been subdued for many years, they did not immediately realize that it was Kraeva who was rising in power. It also pains me to say that I was restricted from informing them of the development, but the time stream remains on the right path either way. The Ancients discovered the culprit not long before you did, and it was only when you first faced off against Kraeva that they started to gather their power, a process that is certainly not quick. Once the power had been gathered, it was transferred to you, but the disruption in your mental state caused you to use some of it before it was ready, so the conducting marks did not succeed in enveloping your body. Until you were beaten back by Kraeva, the power had been slowly spreading through your body, occasionally leaking out, until the conduit circuit had been completed, and the full force of the power had been unleashed. It would also seem that your determined state of mind accelerated the affects even further.”

Danny stared down at his hands, and slowly removed the white gloves. Just as Clockwork had said, they were covered in thin jagged lines. As he was staring at his fingers, Danny remembering something important about Pariah.

“What about the crown and ring? Pariah hadn’t been able to obtain his full power without them.”

“Unlike the markings, the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire accelerate your own abilities, those obtained without assistance of the Ancients. _They_ were created to help reduce the amount of power it would be necessary for you to borrow.”

“I think I have a few more questions…” Danny hesitated, watching Clockwork nod. “Why did the Ancients disappear after they defeated Pariah? I’m assuming that it didn’t actually take them that long to regain their power, so why didn’t they come back?”

“One of the downsides of the mark of the Ancients, is that it can only be removed from a ghost when it is being passed on to another. At the time of Pariah’s defeat, there was no other candidate for the mark, and so he was defeated while he still bore it. In the sarcophagus, Pariah must have discovered a way to leech the Ancients of their power while they were gathering, preventing them from recovering from the fight, as well as sustaining him while he was locked away. If it weren’t for the mark, Pariah would have been weak and easily defeated once Vlad released him from the sarcophagus, but instead he had been able to remain strong. Once released, he had been unable to take all of the Ancients gathered power, because it required action on their side, but he was still strong enough that it would not be necessary.”

“Oh, and once I defeated Pariah, and the mark was passed to me, they were able to start gathering power again?”

“Exactly. Although a large amount of their power was given to you during this fight, so I doubt that we will be seeing them any time soon.”

Danny nodded in understanding, overwhelmed by everything he had just heard. “Will the markings go away?”

“Until the next time it is necessary for you to borrow their power, yes, they will for the most part, although the skull will always remain, and you may be left with a few scars do to the burning of the power. Your eyes will return to normal as well, once this fight is over and you no longer need the influence of the Ancients.”

“My eyes?” Danny held a hand up to his face, and noticed the absence of a telltale glow, either green or red.

“You needn’t worry about them.”

“Okay. Oh, before I forget, how did I survive, in the shield?”

“I got you out, of course. When we altered the time stream, you became my ward and my responsibility, I couldn’t have you die so soon. Now, is there anything else that you wish to know?” Clockwork asked. Really, every question Danny was currently thinking was already coursing through the powerful ghost’s mind, but he knew that Danny only had one.

“Am I… going to be okay?” Danny asked.

Clockwork smiled sadly at him as they stopped in front of the Fenton Portal, luckily still open from when Skulker brought reinforcements earlier. Despite the emotion Danny put in to his question, his pale eyes were surprisingly dull. Clockwork handed Danny a cloth, which the halfa used to carefully wipe all traces of blood from his face.

“In time, Daniel, you will be.”


	39. Goodnight

“Tucker, I really hope you’re done!” Sam shouted as she barged into the box store, her plans of going after Danny ruined by the presence of Nocturne. Morgan was close behind her, running backwards and firing blast after blast at the new ghost. It affected him very little.

“You are all supposed to be asleep! It seems that Undergrowth failed. No matter, I’ll just have to finish this myself!” Nocturne shouted, thrusting his arm out towards the two girls. A wave of blue energy was forced out of his palm and flew towards the girls.

“Inside!” Sam grabbed Morgan by the back of her shirt and yanked her into the store, slamming the door shut and running to the back room. There were a few sleeping citizens scattered about, as well as an unused helmet that had been retrieved after a Sleepwalker dropped it. Tucker was sitting in the middle of it all, PDA in hand, fingers flying across the screen as he attempted to hack into the devices.

“Please tell me you’re done,” Sam said, jumping a little as Nocturne roared in anger.

“Almost…” Tucker spared a quick glance at the two girls, before turning back to his PDA. If it were possible, he seemed to work even faster.

Sam risked sneaking a peek out between the door, and saw that the previously retreated Sleepwalkers were now phasing into the shop. “Hurry up!”

Tucker didn’t respond, simply bent his head lower as he focused. When the Sleepwalkers started phasing through the walls of the backroom, Morgan and Sam stood defensively around Tucker, blaster jerking from side to side as they struggled to keep up with the increasing number of enemies.

“Tucker!” Sam shouted as she kicked away a ghost that had gotten too close.

“Done!” Tucker jumped to his feet, triumphant.

Good, then let’s go!” Morgan abandoned her defensive position and ran to the door that would lead into the alley, just as Tucker was kneeling down beside one of the citizens. “The ghosts won’t hurt anyone that’s sleeping, come on!”

Tucker and Sam shared a quick glance, then conceded, following Morgan out into the alley. For now, they should get back to the school and wake up the other Ghostketeers. They were practically flying through the streets as the Sleepwalkers attempted to converge on them. Nocturne, apparently confident in the skills of his minions, was no longer chasing them, and had instead gone to do something else. Luckily for them, it made fleeing so much easier. Tucker clung to his PDA for dear life as he struggled to shoot with one hand. If his PDA got damaged, he would lose the code that was capable of breaking through the helmet fail-safes, and he would have to start hacking all over again. Granted, it wouldn’t take as long a second time around, but he assumed that any time not spent fighting would be costly.

They made it back to the school in record time, and were relieved to find that the Sleepwalkers had yet to surrounded the building once again, their efforts focused on chasing the three teens Nocturne had targeted. As they burst through the doors, Tucker immediately ran to the gym, where Morgan had told him most of the sleeping people, including the other Ghostketeers, had been moved to, while Sam and Morgan went off to find an entrance to defend.

Tucker skidded to a stop outside the gym doors forced to grab the handle so that he didn’t go sliding past it. This caused his feet to slip out from under him, and he yelled in surprise as he suddenly found himself falling into the wide room, the sudden weight applied to his hands causing the handle to be pushed it. He winced at the light thud that ensued when the door swung open, and Tucker pulled himself to his feet and glanced into the gym.

Someone was lying beside the door, and the door had hit their head as it opened.

“Sorry,” Tucker whispered into the silent room, taking in the sparks now jumping from the battered helmet. He started to maneuver through the sleeping figures, occasionally stepping on someone’s hands, or bumping their heads, hastily whispering his apologies as he went. After a few minutes of searching, he managed to find the remaining Ghostketeers laid out by the far wall, luckily all clustered together. Tucker worked quickly, starting with Lancer. He knelt down beside the overweight teacher and connected to the helmet, before initiating the code that would cause the helmet to stimulate Lancer and wake him. Once he was done, and the whole process took less than a minute, the helmet shattered and Lancer groaned. Satisfied that the code was successful, Tucker moved on to the others. Nathan, Erin, Paulina, and then Kwan. Within five minutes, they were all aware of the current situation.

“Ugh, we’re still fighting? My manicure is already ruined, not to mention my hair, and my flawless skin!” Paulina whined, her fingers brushing lightly against a bruise on her temple gifted to her by a wraith.

“Then don’t fight,” Erin snapped, glaring at the Latina. “But I’m not going to let anyone else… anyone else die!”

Paulina flinched at the ferocity in the younger girl’s voice despite her hesitance. Erin shot to her feet and left the gym while the others watched, a painfully awkward moment, seeing as she had to stumble around the sleeping figures. She whipped the door open when she reached it, stopping just shy of knocking the helmet of the same person Tucker had hit previously, and slammed it behind her. Despite the knowledge that those still sleeping could not be roused by something as simple as a door slam, it was still eerie when no one reacted to the sudden noise.

“So, we’re really just defending the school until Danny gets back and can defeat Nocturne,” Tucker said, rising from his seat on the floor.

“How do you know he’ll come back?” Kwan asked, voice somber.

“Because he’s Danny Phantom, and Danny Phantom always wins,” Tucker countered sternly. He followed Erin’s path out of the gym, Lancer, Kwan, and Nathan not far behind him. Paulina stayed on the floor, combing her fingers through her hair, and scoffing when the door closed.

“It’s not my fault that Hayley or whoever died,” Paulina sniffed. However, a moment later she paused, fingers tightening around a stubborn knot as she kept her eyes downcast. It was easy to picture one of the sleeping figures around her as the lifeless body of Hayden Marx. 

* * *

 It shouldn’t have been a surprise that the moment Nathan had armed himself with a still working Fenton Foamer, he had gone off in search of Valerie, his future prom date. He knew other people thought he was weird, a stalker, and maybe a little bit creepy, but he really didn’t care. He liked Valerie, a lot, and had always known they would go to senior prom together, even if that’s the only thing they did together. If he could just get her to say yes, he would be content, and wouldn’t bother her again.

He ran around the school for a few minutes, finding the Fentons, the GIW, and Erin and Morgan. Ironically, he found Valerie guarding a set of doors not too far from the gym. If Nathan had only gone in the opposite direction when he started his search, he wouldn’t have wasted so much time. But the only thing that really mattered to him was that he had found her, and he did.

“Valerie!” Nathan called, waving ecstatically as the red-suited huntress came into view. She had been leaning out the door, firing at the approaching Sleepwalkers. When she heard Nathan, Valerie pulled backed into the hall and turned to face him.

“You’re awake?” Valerie asked, surprised.

“Tucker did something,” Nathan explained simply. Even if he wanted to elaborate, he couldn’t anyways. He didn’t actually know what Tucker did, and wondered now if he possibly should have. It probably wouldn’t have made a difference, but who knows. Maybe it could have come in handy.

“What about the others?” Valeria glanced over her shoulder at the door, making sure no Sleepwalkers had phased through it.

“Uh, they’re awake too. Tucker said that everyone was here and that Danny is fighting somewhere?” Nathan suddenly wished that he had been paying a little more attention during Tucker’s brief update, but he had still been a little tired and woozy from whatever that helmet did.

“I guess that’s good. We need to hold up until he gets here.”

“Why are you guys so sure that he’ll win?” Nathan asked, twisting his hands together nervously. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe Danny was strong. He had witnessed some of his fights before, but from what he understood, the enemy this time was really strong, and it wouldn’t be easy for Danny to defeat him.

“I don’t know, actually. It’s just that he’s… Danny Phantom,” Valerie shrugged, lacking a better explanation. It was just a feeling that she had, one that assured her there was no way Danny could lose.

“Tucker said that too,” Nathan frowned slightly. It just didn’t make sense to him, although it didn’t make sense to Valerie either.

“Danny never stops fighting, no matter what, and he always comes back. Even if he died, his ghost would remain to continue protecting us. I don’t really know how to explain it, I just know. So does Tucker, and Sam, and the Fentons.”

Nathan looked down at his feet, a little ashamed that he didn’t have such confidence in the town hero. When he raised his eyes, it was to the sight of an unnoticed Sleepwalker phasing through the door, hands charged with ectoplasm, aiming at Valerie.

“Val!” Nathan shouted, and ran forwards. He pushed her out of the way as the beams burst from the ghost’s palms, and stumbled back, barely avoiding the deadly rays himself. In a rush of adrenaline, Nathan made use of the skills he had learned during his time as a Ghostketeer, whipped his gun around, and soaked the Sleepwalker in anti-ecto foam. It wailed miserably as it suddenly burst, ectoplasm splattering the walls and soaking the two teens. Nathan, shocked as he was, dropped to his knees.

“You… you saved me,” Valerie stuttered, her face utterly bewildered through her mask. Never in a millions years would she ever suspect Nathan of being capable of saving from a ghost. In fact, the thought had never even occurred to her before.

“I did,” Nathan said, nodding slowly and glancing at the gun in his hands. “You know, since I saved you, will you go to senior prom with me?”

Valerie’s eyes narrowed and she looked him up and down, pondering the request. He _had_ just saved her life, and he didn’t actually say they had to date. After a slight pause, she replied. “Only if I don’t have a boyfriend.”

Nathan blinked, not quite believing what he had heard, then a wide grin split his face and his eyes seemed to shine. Valerie’s offer was, apparently, good enough for him.

“I better not regret that,” Valerie mumbled, watching the ecstatic nerd, before focusing on the door now covered in ectoplasm. “Come on. We don’t want any more to get in.” 

* * *

When Danny emerged from the Fenton Portal, it was to an eerie silence. He phased into his living room, and saw numerous citizens lying around the floor, familiar helmets over their heads.

“Nocturne,” Danny scowled. He contemplated going into their dreams and scaring them awake, but decided against it. If he defeated Nocturne, which would be easy after fighting Kraeva, then everyone would wake up, a much easier solution than going from person to person devising a way to scare them awake, and then fight Nocturne, during which time they would probably end up asleep again. Danny turned invisible and started flying through the town. Once out on the streets, it was easier to hear the sounds of fighting from a few blocks over, which meant that not everyone was asleep.

He flew quickly, phasing through everything instead of taking the long way around, and emerged through the wall of a nearby home to see Casper High, illuminated by the fading moonlight, as the barest edge of the horizon started to lighten. The sun would be up in no time. Danny flew through the Sleepwalkers surrounding the school, literally, freezing any that he passed through, and made himself visible when he found Sam.

“Is everyone else defeated?” Danny asked seriously, looking from Sam to Tucker.

“Danny, you’re back!” Tucker cheered, grinning as he turned, the Sleepwalkers momentarily held back by Sam’s barrage. His smile faltered as he took in his friend. Danny assumed that this was just because of his eyes and extended aura.

“Did you get everyone else?” Danny asked again.

“Uh, yeah, but dude… what happened? Did you win?” Tucker’s eyes were wide, and his jaw just didn’t seem like it was able to close something that puzzled Danny greatly.

“Yeah, Kraeva’s defeated, I’ll explain more later. But I guess Nocturne is the only one left now. As soon as I defeat him, everyone will wake up, and these guys will disappear.” Danny gestured to the sea of neon green ghosts.

“Dude, you can’t fight right now,” Tucker shook his head, his comment catching Sam’s attention. She turned away from the Sleepwalkers and gasped as she took in Danny’s appearance.

“Guys, it’s just temporary. The marks will go away, and my eyes will return to normal, it’s fine,” Danny said casually, waving his arm.

“But Danny-“ Sam’s protest was cut off as Danny suddenly shot an ectoblast at his two best friends. They yelped in surprise but a foot before it reached them, the blast seemed to hit an invisible wall, before the ectoplasm arced up around them and formed a green wall on their other side blocking all attacks from the Sleepwalkers.

“It’s probably better if you withdraw for now, since it’ll all be over soon. Just protect the school, and I’ll tell everyone else,” Danny smiled, then shot into the sky, Sam’s shout trailing after him. He found Valerie and Nathan next briefly informing them of his victory, and instructing them to retreat inside. They both remained silent as he spoke, wearing the same shocked expression as his best friend and girlfriend. As Danny flew away, he wondered why they were looking at him like that, but once again passed it off as his altered appearance. After them he found Jazz and his parents.

“Danny, oh my goodness, what happened? You need help!” Jazz gasped when her brother touched down beside him.

“Everything’s fine, it’ll go away. But I have to get to everyone else, so you’re getting the short version. Kraeva is gone, I just have to defeat Nocturne, retreat inside the school and defend from there, okay? See ya!” Danny once again flew away, ignoring any calls that were made after him.

Seriously, didn’t they get that his appearance was just temporary? Clockwork had assured him of that.

Morgan, Jason, and Erin, as well as Kwan, Dash, and Star, all reacted in a similar manner as the others, although it seemed that Dash tried to pretend he wasn’t shocked, or surprised, or whatever it was they were all feeling. That was another thing Danny didn’t get. He just couldn’t grasp what emotion they were attempting to convey. When he reached the GIW, he was pleased to find that they hardly reacted at all to his appearance. In fact, none of the seven operatives he encountered even turned their weapons on him, accepting his proposal with ease. It was a relief, to say the least, though a bit of a surprise.

Lastly, Danny had to find his ally ghosts. He assumed they were taking a more aerial position, but was at a loss as to why he couldn’t spot a giant blue dragon. Instead, the first ghost that he ran into was one covered in a white bedsheet. It looked familiar, and Danny paused a moment when he saw it. The ghost, like the GIW, didn’t react to Danny’s current state.

As Danny was struggling to remember where he had seen the ghost before, it pulled off the sheet covering its body, to reveal a black skeleton with red eyes, surrounded by a green aura. Danny’s first instinct was to attack the wraith that stood before him, but managed to stop himself just before releasing an ectoblast as he finally recognized the ghost.

“You’re one of my clones!” Danny shouted in surprise. “I thought you had all melted.”

The skeletal clone shook his skull.

“That’s good, at least. I need to defeat Nocturne. Can you round up the other ghosts, and get them to move closer to the school, just so that it can be more closely defended until I win?” Danny asked. His clone nodded and took off.

With the knowledge that everyone would be well protected, Danny did the same, heading off in search of Nocturne.

“Hey, Nocturne!” Danny yelled as he floated above the town. “I thought it was about time I beat you back to dreamland again!”

His taught worked extraordinarily well, and the ghost of dreams revealed himself right away. He suddenly appeared in front of Danny, large enough to be above eye level with the halfa despite the fact that his feet did not leave the town, and Danny was considerably high above the town.

“Danny Phantom! You will not win this time,” Nocturne smiled. “I am at full strength, and have the dreams of all your beloved citizens to give me power!”

Danny returned the gesture with a wicked grin. “And I have the blessing of the Ancients to give me mine.”

Whether the larger ghost had not recognize the markers for what they were at first, or if he simply hadn’t known, the mention of the strongest ghosts to ever exist certainly roused his memories, and his face blanched as Danny flew forwards.

The fight was extremely brief, and Danny found it to be a little disappointing after his epic battle with Kraeva. All it took was a few well-placed punches before Nocturne looked ready to topple, and Danny pulled out his Fenton Thermos.

“Goodnight, Nocturne.” The large ghost screamed in protest as he was sucked in the glowing blue beam, and Danny slammed the cap down on the container. He floated down to the street in time to see the helmets worn by those lying on the sidewalk were breaking apart, one by one. He would have a few minutes before they were fully conscious, and didn’t want to be seen in this form then. He had to be fast. Danny flew back to Casper High and found everyone congregated in the halls.

“Where’s Danielle?” Danny asked immediately, looked around the motley gathering. He had noticed his daughter’s absence right away as he was flying around, and was worried. But fighting Nocturne, if it could even be called a fight, had reluctantly taken preference. Mostly everyone exchanged confused glances, attempting to recall the last time they had seen the younger Phantom. Lancer looked especially perplexed before his eyes lit up.

“Vlad!” Lancer said suddenly, remembering what had occurred moments before he was knocked out.

“What about Vlad?” Danny’s voice was low and deadly.

“He’s the one who let the shield down. Just before he did, he told me that he had… taken Danielle’s Spector Protector, said something about a Plasmius… Maxim? And a Specter Deflector…” Lancer rubbed his chin, struggling to recall the details exactly. While the others were confused about what Lancer meant, Danny understood immediately. He closed his eyes stretching his ghost sense as far as he could. With the borrowed power the Ancients, that was extremely far, and he could identify every individual ghost with range. Including Danielle. He disappeared in flash, and reappeared in a store some streets away, kneeling beside his daughter.

She was still unconscious, and twitching slightly as the Spector Deflector attacked her ghost half. Danny immediately ripped the belt from her waste, and teleported back to the others.

"Dora, Dani’s hurt!" Danny said the moment he reappeared, his daughter held tightly in his arms. Without Forstibe and Pandora, Dora was the next best ghost to go to for help. She strode forwards and immediately examined the girl, while Danny was whispering something furiously. Only Dora could properly hear the words.

“ _Dani’s hurt, Dani’s hurt, Dani’s hurt, Vlad hurt her. Vlad._ VLAD!” Danny’s last word was a powerful shout. “Where is Vlad?!”

Jack, unsure of what else to do, held up the Thermos that he had managed to trap the exiled ghost into. Danny stalked forwards, ripped the Thermos from his father’s hands, and disappeared once more. He was gone for five minutes before he returned, eyes blazing. He was certainly a sight behold, standing in the middle of the hallway, his shoulders hunched forwards a little, breathing ragged. The hood of his cloak had fallen back, revealing the blood that matted his hair. Whatever activity he had been doing had apparently loosened the DP clasp holding the cloak in place and with a sharp ping it fell to the floor, the heavy cloth following it. For the first time, everyone was able to see the full extent of Danny’s injuries.

His left hung limply at his side, and had four long scratches down its length, which were bleeding heavily. In fact, he appeared to be bleeding heavily everywhere, something that he appeared to be unaware of. The mixture of green and red seeped generously from an injury hidden in his hair, as well as one along his abdomen. Danny was noticeably favouring his left leg, the right one being covered in numerous distinguishable ecto-burns. When the scythe he had been clutching fell from his right hand, it brought attention to the very lethal vertical slit on his forearm. When Sam and Tucker had seem him before, the wounds hadn’t looked so bad, but now the power given to Danny by the Ancients was waning, and his injuries were displaying themselves to their fullest extent.

* * *

Danny wavered on his feet. The world was getting blurring, and the others just wouldn’t _stop_ _looking at him like that._ Somewhere in the back of his mind he could feel a growing pain, and it suddenly hit him all at once. Danny’s eyes widened, and he wasn’t able to stop the blood that bubbled up his throat and spewed across the hallway tiles. He fell forwards, feeling someone with a gentle hold catch him at the last moment, and was aware of the transformation rings spreading from his waste. It actually burned, for him to change back. It felt like his blood was boiling and his skin sizzling as the rings washed over his body. He wasn’t able to resent the temptation of the dark, and the sweet release it provided.


	40. Bloody Red Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for the end of the chapter! Please be warned of cutting, and read with caution

Danny was getting rather annoyed with how much time he had spent unconscious over the past few days. It was more a nuisance than anything, but it was also such a welcome feeling. It allowed him to forget. Here, locked away in his mind, he couldn't feel pain. He didn't need to think about Hayden being dead, didn't need to think about failing anyone. It was just him, and silence. After a while, though, the voices came. He wasn't going crazy or anything, at least not yet. He just wasn't as unaware of things as he would like to be.

At first, they started out as quiet, warbled sentences. Hardly distinguishable from each other, and certainly not clear enough to identify who spoke them. After a while, though, they became a little clearer. He still couldn't hear quite what they were saying, but at least now he knew _who_ was saying them. Dora was there a lot, and so was Sam. He heard Tucker a few times, and Danielle at one point too. He only actually heard his parents once, but felt that they were still close by. The Ghostketeers came to, a couple at a time. It felt like he had been unconscious for a really long time, but knew that really, he hadn't been.

It was with a heavy sigh that he fought back against the encroaching darkness until he finally opened his eyes. At first all he saw was white, but once his eyes adjusted to the bright light, Danny realized that he was in a hospital, if the steady beeping at his side was any clue. This, at least, explained why he only heard Tucker a few times. Sam was sitting on the end of his bed, reading a book of all things. He watched her for a few minutes, head down, a curtain of black hair falling over her face. Her fingers gently tracing the page as she moved to turn it. He a little disappointed when she suddenly looked up, probably to check on him, and saw that he was awake.

"Danny!" Sam tossed down her book, slid from her seat, and wrapped her arms lightly around his shoulders.

"Told you I'd win," Danny grinned. When Sam pulled back, he noticed his parents, and Jazz sleeping in the chair beside the bed. They looked worn, and ragged, but otherwise unharmed.

"I won't wake them," Sam said, understanding what Danny was thinking. He nodded, then realized that it didn't hurt. Not really, at least. There was still a dull ache in his chest. He glanced at his arm, where the needle was pressed into his bag, then followed the tube to the bag handing beside his bed.

So that's why it didn't hurt, he was pumped full of pain killers.

Danny took the time to take inventory of his injuries. His head was wrapped up, and both of his arms were covered in bandages. The wound on his side was dressed, and based on the feeling when he shifted, stitched up. His right leg was also bandaged up. He couldn't remember getting all these wounds, and assumed it happened during his fight with Kraeva. With nothing else to do, he looked to Sam for an explanation.

"Dora has been treating you. Your arms were scratches, burns on your leg, and she assumes that the injury on your head is from hitting a wall too hard?"

Danny though back to his fight, and the number of times Kraeva had thrown him against the castle walls. As well as how many times it was hard enough for him to break through said walls. "That makes sense. How long have I been out?"

"Only a few hours, I think it's almost noon. Apparently the traffic cameras continued filming and broadcasting after the wraiths were defeated since Tucker forgot to shut it off. But I guess he did that right. Did you know he was streaming everything live online? A bunch of police and first responders arrived from a few of the surrounding towns not long after you passed out. Anyone who was injured seriously has been treated, and most others as well. The destruction was actually minimal, so anyone that's able to has started to help clear the debris."

"That's good," Danny nodded again. "What about the ghosts?"

"Princess Dorathea, Ember, and Skulker are still here. I'm not too sure about the others though," Sam said as she sat down again. "It's kind of cool, actually. They're just walking around, helping out, and people are hardly reacting."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, everyone was watching them help us fight, so I guess they all know that ghosts aren't actually all bad."

Danny fidgeted as his stitches started to itch and resisted the urge to rip off the dressing.

Sam noticed his discomfort and smiled a little. "How long do you think it'll take for you to heal?"

"I should be able to walk around by the end of the day. Depending on how deep my wounds were, I'll be relatively fine by tomorrow night, though I'll probably still need the bandages."

"Good, because somehow it was decided that there's going to be a part in the park tomorrow, it would suck if you missed it."

Danny grinned in agreement. He spent the rest of the day, bored out of his mind, resting in bed. When his parents and sister had awoken to see he was okay, he insisted they head home and get some proper sleep. Reluctantly, they agreed. Tucker visited once more to update Danny on what was going on, while Danny told him and Sam everything about the Ancients. He was relieved when Sam showed him that his eyes were indeed their normal icy blue, and the markings had mostly disappeared. There were still a few white lines, across his nose, on the underside of his jaw, and no doubt there would be more a couple places across his body.

Once he finished explaining, Tucker, who had been extremely nervous the whole time, left in a hurry. No doubt eager to get out of the 'modelling agency'. After that, Valerie was the one that brought updates. After her first couple of reports, she suddenly scolded Danny for telling Sam and Tucker his secret. Apparently the techno-geek had let slip that they now knew during their conversation. Valerie wasn't too mad, though, and Danny even managed to convince her to tell the other Ghostketeers. If they knew his secret, they should know hers as well. She would tell everyone at the next meeting.

It was at the end of the day, after Danny had insisted that Sam go home to sleep in an actual bed, and Dora had given his wounds a quick look over—they were healing much faster than normal, normal for Danny that is—that Valerie delivered her last, and most damaging, update.

Hayden hadn't been the only one to die. When Danny had been gone fighting Kraeva, Vlad had killed someone. It was while he was taking down the ghost shield. He tossed the cover of the generator down to the people that had been gathered in the auditorium, and the corner had hit someone on the head. They had been knocked out, and died while they, and everyone else, was asleep. She had spoken quickly, and left as soon as she was done.

That night, Danny didn't sleep. Without the battle or Sam to distract him, he was left alone with his thoughts. He sat in his bed all night, shoulder hunched forwards, staring down at his hands with wide eyes. He was shaking slightly and, despite the painkillers coursing through his blood, his chest still hurt. He was hardly aware of the red-headed nurse that entered his room at some point near sunrise and placed a small plastic cup on the tray attached to the bed. She swivelled it around so that he was no longer staring at his hands, but at the two round, white pills in the cup.

"To help with the pain," the nurse said. "I'll get you a second dose before you leave today."

Danny's movements were robotic as he gently grabbed the cup, brought it up to his lips, and then tipped the pills into his mouth, swallowing them without the water she had also brought. Dazed as he was, Danny didn't even think to consider the fact that Dora had been treating him, and no human doctor or nurse were supposed to know the extent of his injuries.

* * *

"Honey, are you sure you're well enough to leave?" Maddie asked nervously, watching her son emerge from the bathroom after changing into fresh clothes. He stretched, straining his stiches a little, and grinned.

"I feel great," Danny said happily, plastering a fake smile across his face. Although the lingering pain had disappeared after taking the pills earlier that morning, and again just a few minutes ago. The same nurse had brought Danny his new clothes just before his mother and Sam had arrived, giving him the additional pills at the same time.

He adjusted the collar of his shirt, still smiling at his mother. The clothes he had been given were those that he hadn't worn in over a year. A dark, short-sleeved button up with a muscle shirt underneath, and cargo shorts. Danny was so used to being completely covered that it felt strange for his muscular arms to be on full display. The shorter clothes also reveal the bandages coating his upper left arm, lower right, and almost the entirety of his leg. It was strange indeed, and his mom just couldn't seem to drag her eyes away from them, so fresh and white from being replaced by Dora less than an hour ago.

"Come on, let's go. I want to see Dani, and I _will_ fly away without you." Danny cocked his eyebrow at Maddie while Sam snickered, knowing full well that he was telling the truth. Jack and Maddie had determined that, since Danielle had been in her human form while wearing the Spector Deflector, and since her human half was still more dominant than her ghost half, unlike Danny, the damaging effects of the belt had been limited and all she needed was rest. So she had been allowed to see Danny briefly after she first woke up, then had been taken to Fenton Works and confined to bed rest.

Danny had been so relieved when he heard that she was alright but decided that, even if he had known that at the time, he still would have done _that_ to Vlad. The older halfa had been more trouble than he was worth, but things would be much easier now.

Maddie looked skeptically at her son for a few more seconds, then sighed and agreed. Sam wrapped her hand in Danny's and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before the started walking down the halls. At this point in time, anyone that hadn't before, now knew the Danny had been the one coordinating the fight when it first started. Although if it weren't for the word of the Ghostketeers, many of them probably wouldn't have believed it. A few still didn't. But those people weren't in the hospital that day, so as Danny walked down the hall, clapping erupted in his wake, and he received a few sharp pats on the back. Not used to such recognition, Danny actually blushed and dipped his head. While most of the people here hadn't actually seen Danny fight, or at least hadn't known they were seeing him fight, they could tell that from his wounds, he _had_ fought, and fought hard.

The news that Danny Phantom had ultimately been their saviour in the end had also spread throughout the town, even though it really was no surprise. At some point during all this rapid storytelling, someone had started the rumour that Danny Phantom was going to be making an appearance at the park tonight, where the part was being held. Apparently a few teenagers had extended invitations to Ember, and it apparently extended to all ghosts that had helped defend Amity.

"So, are the Phantoms going to make an appearance at the party?" Sam asked. She and Danny were sitting back to back on his bed while Danielle claimed her father's lap. Tucker was sitting at Danny's computer, checking comments people had posted on his previously live feed. He had remembered to actually end the feed once everyone had been assured that Danny would live, but had linked up his PDA with the town cameras before doing so. The Battle for Amity Park, as a lot of people were calling it, had gone viral, and Tucker had gotten a great idea. He had just finished creating his website, uploading the videos onto it, and had decided that he would stream the ghost fights of Amity live for the world to see. It would help to further spread the awareness of ghosts, and it was a great cash cow. A few companies were already requesting to use Tucker's limited ad space.

"Phantom _s?_ " Danny asked, emphasizing the plural.

"People may not know Dani's name, but she does kind of look exactly like you," Valerie, who was in the corner of the room cleaning her board, pointed out. She had revealed her identity to the Ghostketeers around noon, when Danny had returned from the hospital.

"Hey, if anyone sees Danielle as she is now, do you think they'll make the connection? Fenton and Phantom both having a little girl that looks exactly like them, and both pairs looking exactly like their ghostly counter parts?" Morgan speculated. Really, it made a lot of sense.

"This town is full of stupid jocks, do you really think they're smart enough to figure it out? Tucker and Sam didn't, and they're his best friends," Erin countered. The two girls were sitting together, Morgan quietly lecturing Erin on weapon use. There weren't actually any A-listers present to argue Erin's point, and Jason merely shrugged. There was no use denying when he had a solid D average. Nathan, meanwhile, didn't really have anything to add to the conversation.

No one was really sure how it happened, but minus Jazz and the A-listers, the teenage Ghostketeers had just ended up at Fenton Works and congregated in Danny's room. They weren't really sure how to explain, but after everything that happened, how could they _not_ be friends? Fighting a venerable army of ghosts together can do that. They weren't sure how the A-listers fit into this equation. Sure, they had grown closer too, but there would always be that little bit of separation between the popular and unpopular. Although, it was up to debate whether the Ghostketeers would now be considered popular, after everything they had done. A few eager teens had approached Danny and the others asking if they could join the ghost hunting group. Some freshmen as well, and among them was a particular kid Danny recognized from the assembly where his parents had first announced the re-creation of the group. It was the boy that had asked if anyone had ever been hurt during an attack before. Something inside Danny broke at that fact, because no longer could the answer to that question be "no", even if Kraeva's invasion hadn't been a normal attack. During the Pariah incident Danny had managed to keep everyone safe. Well, minus Valerie, but the situation had been a little different then. Although that had been the first time that he-

"Danny?"

"Hm, yeah?" Danny looked up, not realizing that he had been zoning out.

"Will the Phantoms be showing?" Sam asked again.

"Danielle as Phantom? No. Like Morgan said, I don't want anyone making that connection. But Danny Phantom might make a surprise appearance," Danny grinned slyly.

"And how are you going to do that? People are going to notice if the general isn't there," Tucker smirked.

"I told you to stop calling me that," Danny mumbled.

"It is what Pandora calls you," Danielle piped up.

"Yeah, but… Pandora's an ancient Greek ghost, she does stuff like that."

"But you didn't say you weren't a general," Sam added.

"Aren't you supposed to be on my side?" Danny cried, tilting his head back to look at his girlfriend.

She scrunched up her nose as she thought. "Only sometimes."

The others burst out laughing at Sam's comment while Danny scowled playfully. He'd just have to prank them all later to make up for this.

"But seriously, dude, how are you going to do that?" Tucker asked again.

"Ghost powers, remember?" Danny transformed into Phantom, causing Sam to yelp as the cold white rings phased through her body in the process. With a light pop, a second Danny was sitting on the bed, and this Danny changed into human form. "The general here can hang around idly for a bit, and as long as I don't do anything too distracting, we can both be there. Although Phantom would be there long."

Danny turned human, but kept his duplicate, grinning at the Ghostketeers.

"That's so weird," Jason whispered, eyes flicking between the two identical Danny's.

"And cool," Morgan added.

"I don't really think it's weird, do you?" Danny turned to his duplicate.

"No, not at all," Duplicate Danny shook his head.

"I think it's perfectly normal."

"Perfectly normal."

"Nothing strange about it."

"Nope."

"Uh, Dannys?"

"Yep?" Both Dannys answered at the same time, heads swivelling to Valerie, flawlessly synchronized.

"Dude, it's a little creepy," Tucker snickered as the Dannys cocked their heads, the corners of their mouths twitching. They suddenly stood, flinging their arms around each other's shoulders, and reaching out to Tucker.

"Come play with us, Tucker," the Dannys said in unison.

"Seriously creepy."

"Forever and ever," the Dannys continued while Danielle erupted into a fit of giggles. The others were suppressing their own laughs.

"Okay, man, you can stop," Tucker raised his hands in a gesture of good will, but instead of backing down, Danny and his clone stepped forwards.

"Foreveeeeer." Tucker practically screamed and fell off of his chair, scrambling back while the two Dannys jumped on him. Jack heard the commotion from downstairs and barged into Danny's room, thinking something was going wrong. He wasn't sure what to make of what he saw. There were two of his son, and they were holding Tucker upside down by his feet while the techno-geek attempted to grab the PDA that was being held just out of his reach.

"Sharon, no!" Tucker shouted, lurching upwards. Duplicate Danny simply held the device higher.

"What's going on, Danny-boy?" Jack asked, still supremely confused.

"We're playing," the Dannys answered at the same time. Finally, Sam could no longer hold in her left, and she fell back onto the bed. Her lack of restraint triggered the others, and soon the room was filled with mirth.

"Danny, put him down!" Jazz called as she passed down the hall behind Jack. She hadn't even looked in the room. The real Danny immediately let go of Tucker's leg, while the duplicate passed over the PDA, and firmly wrapped his arms around both of Tucker's feet.

"I'm getting… a little dizzy, dude," Tucker groaned, pressing his palms against the floor to try and hold himself up.

"Both of you," Jazz added, her head popping out from under Jack's raised arms. The Dannys looked at each other and sighed before Duplicate Danny complied, dramatically pulled his arms away and letting Tucker topple. Luckily, since the techno-geek had been attempting to hold himself up, he didn't immediately drop, and Danny was kind enough to give him a gentle shove so that he wouldn't fall on his face. Tucker had mind enough to curl up so he rolled into a sitting position instead of just falling flat on his back.

"You, gone," Jazz pointed in the general direction of the Dannys, almost forgetting about her brother's old habit for pranks. The real Danny went invisible while Duplicate Danny stayed where he was.

"Danny," Jazz sighed, exasperated, looking about the room for any hint of where. "You know what, just… never mind."

A snicker emanated from somewhere about their heads as Jazz walked away. Jack simply shrugged and followed. When they were gone, Danny reappeared on his bed beside Sam while the duplicate disappeared.

"So, party time?" Jason asked as he looked out Danny's bedroom window. The sun was low enough in the sky that it had the opposite horizon had started to darken. There was a staggered chorus of agreement as everyone rose to their feet. The party was well underway by the time that they arrived, and had no doubt that it had actually started a few hours ago. At this point, it was mostly just high schoolers and adults—ghosts not included. Any younger children had already gone home, though there were a few slightly older ones that had been granted reprieve from their usual curfews by their parents.

As Tucker had mentioned, everyone had noticed that the 'general' was absent. But it wasn't just Danny that they were cheering for. It was everyone. At the hospital, Danny had been a little flustered at the attention he got, but here he was downright embarrassed, and he wasn't the only one. Surprisingly, Erin of all people was blushing furiously, and stepped a little closer to Morgan as they entered the crowd.

None of them were really sure what to do, and after a few awkward moments of lingering together, they spread out. Jason went to find his jock friends, Nathan his own fellow nerds. Erin, who everyone knew was only putting on an air of enjoyment, ended up in the solemn presence of Hayden's family. Morgan chose to maintain her loner status and wandered randomly through the party, occasionally talking to people, but mostly scaring them off. It was no surprise that Tucker, Sam, and Danny stayed together while Danielle went off to explore.

When the sun fell, the ghosts came. As Danny's ghost sense went off, hidden behind his hand, he remembered something.

"Hold on, I'll be right back," he said, extracting his hand from Sam's. He moved lithely through the crowds, following his ghost sense to a particular friend.

" _Hej, Wulf_!" Danny shouted as he saw his black-furred friend.

" _Mi amiko_!" Wulf grinned when he saw Danny in return and bounded forwards.

" _Bonas vidi ke vi estas bone. Mi havas demandon._ " _It's good to see you're alright. I have a questions._ Danny ruffled his hair, not noticing the strange looks that were being directed towards him and Wulf.

" _Kion vi bezonas scii?_ " _What do you need to know?_

 _"Temas pri teleporting kaj portaloj. Mi forgesis demandi Clockwork, kaj vi estas vere la sola alia fantomo Mi scias kun multa sperto tiel. Ĉu vi povas helpi?" It's about teleporting, and portals. I forgot to ask Clockwork, and you're really the only other ghost I know with a lot of experience like that. Could you help?_ Danny chuckled nervously, really hoping that Wulf would be able to help him in this. He realized that he could go to Clockwork, but felt a little ridiculous for forgetting this when they were having their conversation. He also didn't know if Clockwork would actually answer his question.

" _Mi povas provi_." _I can try_.

 _"Antaŭe, kiam mi iris, por batali Kraeva, mi estis en la lernejo. Sed mi ne teleport, ne ŝatis kiel mi normale povas. Sed mi ne uzis portalo ĉu." Before, when I went to fight Kraeva, I was in the school. But I didn't teleport, not like how I normally can. But I didn't use a portal either._ Danny's mind was a little fuzzy on the details, but he was pretty sure that he got right.

" _Povas priskribi kio okazis?" Can you describe what happened?_

" _Mi ne scias. Mi estis tie, kaj mi estis freneza, mi ne estis. Sam diris ion pri vasta lumo." I don't know. I was just there, and I was mad, then I wasn't. Sam said something about a spreading light._

" _Kion via teleportations kutime ŝatas?" What are your teleportations normally like?_

_"Nur brila ekbrilon. Sed Sam diris ne estis fulmrapide. Estis kiel malrapide turnante supren lumo ĝis vi estus blindaj, tiam fermante ĝin, kaj mi ne povas teletransporti al la Fantoma Zono." Just a bright flash. But Sam said it wasn't a flash. It was like slowly turning up a light until you were blind, then shutting it off, and I can't teleport to the Ghost Zone._

" _Ĝi bezonus portalo, kiel mia. La Antikvuloj benas vin, estas ilia influo. Kiam ili estis inter fantomoj, ĝi diris ke ili estis ĉiea. Ili havis la kapablon iri ie ajn." It would need a portal, like mine. The Ancients have blessed you, it's their influence. When they were among ghosts, it's said that they were ubiquitous. They had the ability to go anywhere._

_"Do mi povis teletransporti al la Fantoma Zono sen portalo pro ilia potenco?" So I could teleport to the Ghost Zone without a portal, because of their power?_

_"Mi kredas ke jes." I think so._

_"Ho, malvarmeta. Mi scivolas se mi povis fari ĝin denove…_ " _Oh, cool. I wonder if I could do it again…_ Danny glanced down, deep in thought, before someone behind him caught his attention.

"What just happened?"

Danny turned and saw Dash, with a few other A-listers, standing behind him. Looking around, he finally noticed that the noise around them had died down, and most people were staring at the halfa and the ghost.

"A conversation," Danny said with a smirk, realizing that no could probably understand what they were saying.

"Since when do you speak Esperanto?" Tucker asked.

"Some time last year? Oh, yeah, you know some too, don't you, Tuck?"

"A little," Tucker nodded.

"What were they saying?" Dash looked to Tucker, hating that he had to ask a loser for information.

"I have… no idea. You said ghost a couple of times?" Tucker shook his head and shrugged. "Dude, you gotta teach me."

"Ha, maybe later," Danny returned the shrug, mumbled a few words to Wulf, then disappeared in the crowd. He spent most of the rest of the party lingering among the ghosts, occasionally returning to Sam or Tucker's side. He hadn't seen Danielle in a while, but wasn't worried. It was an unspoken fact between them that Danielle could explore as much as she wanted, would not be pressured to stay in Amity, just as long as she checked in with Danny once a month. For all he knew, she had already left town. Maybe to the Ghost Zone, maybe to Asia.

When it was nearing the end of the party, everyone realized that Danny had disappeared. They assumed that he had simply gone home to rest because of his injuries. Not even the Ghostketeers, who knew Danny's secreted, suspected that he could be sitting amongst the higher branches of a nearby tree, invisibly watching the party from above. He wore a grim expression, and the same images just kept looping through his head.

Hayden, hanging off the end of a sword. The citizen that Vlad had killed, head bloodied and breathing absent. Operative N, white suit stained red. Kraeva, hands limp around the staff of Danny's scythe. And finally Vlad, his body mangled after receiving the full force of Danny's rage, assisting by the power of the Ancients. Now, Danny could remember everything clearly. He had killed three of those people himself, had _wanted_ to kill them. No matter how just his cause, the old Danny would never have done that. The other two, he had failed to protect. Another thing the old Danny wouldn't have done.

Whatever those pills had been that the nurse gave him, their effects were waning, and the pain in his chest was returning, nearly ten-fold. He gasped, clinging at his shirt. He wanted it to go away, wanted the paint to end. But it wouldn't. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force it to the back of his mind, but it just wouldn't work. Nothing would work.

No. One thing would work. Slowly, Danny opened his eyes and looked at the ghosts gathered among the humans. He spotted Ember there, playing one of her few non-injury inducing songs for a few of her fans.

"I'm sorry, Pyre," Danny whispered, and flew up out of the tree and back towards Fenton Works. His mind was hazy and he couldn't think straight. He phased through his bedroom wall, stumbling when he landed, and dropped to his knees. He just barely registered the tears streaming down his face, or the sharp crack in his voice as he practically screamed to the empty house.

"Go away, just go away!" He thrust his arm under his bed and pulled out a seemingly innocent pack of cards. Danny ripped it open, tearing off the front of the box, and dumped the cards onto his floor. He sifted through the cards frantically until something glinting silver caught his eyes. Danny sighed in relief, his trembling fingers closing around the object that would provide with reprieve, and control. With the object in hand, he stumbled out of his room and into the bathroom, where he shut and locked the door despite being home alone.

Holding the razor blade with a surprisingly gentle grasp, he pressed it against the underside of his exposed upper arm, where numerous small scares were lined up in neat little rows. Danny dragged it across his skin, watching the blood bubble up from the fresh cut. He looked at himself in the mirror, and saw that his eyes had changed.

He was nothing like the old Danny.

In fact, he was hardly like Danny at all.

What he saw, was the beast with bloody red eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had so much fun with this story, thank you everyone for reading it, and I hope you'll enjoy the sequel once I start posting it!


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